Halfway To Anywhere
by KyleParker01
Summary: What would you do if you had to choose between your job and a woman you just met? From the moment they meet Emma believes that Regina Mills is the one. But Emma's recent past has not been an easy path. Will she be able to let her guard down enough to let the other woman in? And will Regina be able to forgive her when she finds out exactly who Emma Swan really is?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All OUAT characters are not mine. Obviously.**

 **A/N: This is an original story of mine that I intended publish, but decided to fic for SwanQueen. Let me know what you think?**

 **IMPORTANT A/N, PLEASE READ THIS! It has just been brought to my attention that there might possibly be some confusion about my story. My username on here used to be "SwanMills815". A username under which I had originally posted several original stories. I reached a point in my life where I basically just gave up on writing. I lost faith in myself and the words just quit coming to me. This story in particular was written all the way up to the last chapter, but I only ever finished half the chapter and it never had a conclusion. Recently a couple very good friends have given me the courage to start posting my work again. If anyone has any questions, I have multiple dear friends who I know are willing to vouch for me. The new username I am now posting under is the name of an original character in a 'crackfic' that I began writing in order to try to get myself back in the game! I truly am sorry for any and all confusion!**

 **CHAPTER 1**

The sun was setting as Emma Swan drove her motorcycle out of the city, headed down a long stretch of highway she knew well. Travelers were few and far between and the ride always gave her time to think. Time to clear her mind after a stressful day on the job. Some days were worse than others. Some days were just long. Tonight she was taking off just in time to watch the sun disappear on the horizon. The last hours of light were closing in fast, but she didn't mind. It's what she looked forward to. There was something about the sunset that soothed her soul. Even on days when she didn't think that was possible.

Though she sometimes found herself driving aimlessly until the sun was coming up once again, the rides were never long enough. It was easy to lose track of time when she never slept and all she had was herself, her iPod and the open road. When Emma first decided to purchase her motorcycle, her girlfriend Amanda had not been happy. Always the reasonable one, she was. And she always pitched a good argument that made it tough for Emma to resist. But the motorcycle was the one thing she wouldn't compromise on. While Amanda hadn't liked it, she could deny Emma nothing.

Emma accelerated well past the speed limit attempting to wash the thoughts of Amanda away. She was gone now and it didn't do Emma any good to think about her. She wouldn't be getting her back.

Right after high school Emma had attended the University of Maryland with her best friend who she'd known since junior high. Both graduated with a BS in Criminal Justice and after working for the Baltimore Police Department for two years she made the decision to apply for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Ever so faithful, Emma's best friend Neal Cassidy decided that he wouldn't be outdone and couldn't let her apply to the FBI alone. After spending 20 weeks at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia they were officially Special Agents for the FBI. Jobs they'd held since they were 25. Starting on the low end of the totem pole they eventually worked their way into the Organized Crime Unit. They'd been partners for nine years now. Having done everything together since the day they met, it only made sense.

The last light of the day was slowly fading from orange to pink with a hint of purple. Emma took a deep breath and wondered to herself how far she would drive before giving in and heading home. The late July air was warm, but Emma knew that it didn't matter whether or not it was summer time, when the sun went down it would take the warmth with it and she would be left with the cool summer wind. She mumbled to herself about nothing in particular even though there was no one to hear it. Emma did that a lot while she was driving. When thinking wasn't getting the job done, she found it best to just say it out loud. And sometimes when she couldn't find the words…she would sing along with the music, for only herself to hear. And though Emma's voice wasn't all that bad, she didn't sing much. Rarely when she was alone and never in front of anyone. Not even for Amanda.

It was a little after ten when she decided to turn around and head back to civilization. She didn't ride as far as she had anticipated. Her heart just wasn't in it and for a moment Emma considered stopping off at a little bar she had come to know well. She hadn't always been a loner but lately Emma found that keeping her own company was best. Best for her. Best for everyone. Her intentions were usually just to have a beer or two and- Who was she kidding? Those were never her intentions and going home with a different girl every time was nothing new to her.

Emma wanted to pretend she didn't know when she'd started acting the way she did, but knew she'd only be lying to herself. It had started the day Amanda left. Emma fell apart and shut out the rest of the world. Except her best friend; the only person she still kept close. After all, Neal had been there a lot longer than Amanda had and he still hadn't left her. He would never leave her. Would he?

Emma hadn't consciously decided to move on. But move on she did. Or so it seemed to everyone around her. She was searching for something now and though she didn't know what it was, she continued to look for it in the arms of willing women. And there were more than plenty of them. But Emma had yet to find that thing. That thing that was going to fill the void left in the wake of Amanda's absence.

But she wouldn't go to the bar tonight. No. Emma had work to do. Case files to look over. Plans to make. If she went to the bar Emma knew that she'd sit in the corner, have a few drinks and go home with someone she didn't know despite her better judgment. That wasn't such a good idea tonight. She just wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone else. At least once she made it home her files would keep her busy for a while.

 **. . .**

When she finally arrived home some time later, Emma stopped off in her kitchen for a bottle of water and headed back to the living room. Having changed and gotten comfortable, she pulled her legs up and under her as she sat on the couch. Several files and manila envelopes were spread out next to her. Emma didn't feel like dealing with this case right now either. But it was going to be a toss-up between work and staring blankly at the ceiling in attempt to sleep. But sleep wasn't going to happen any time soon. It wasn't even one in the morning.

Finally she put forth the effort to pick up and open one of the envelopes that contained several photos that would eventually help build a strong case against Luis Mills. A man who supposedly had his hands in a lot of bad business around the city. Currently it was too hard to tell exactly who the man had in his pocket. Low-life thugs? Supposed upstanding citizens and government officials? The possibilities were endless.

At this point it was nearly impossible to know who could and could not be trusted. Emma flipped through the photos of men who appeared to be making deals. Handing off envelopes. Envelopes that presumably contained cash, in exchange for packages that contained drugs or who knew what else. There were too many different possibilities to choose from. Flipping to the next photograph, she paused in her effort, taking in the image in front of her. Emma had seen this photo a million times just as she had the others. But there was always something about this one that drew her in and there were so many more like it. The same people in all of the photos, doing various business transactions in broad daylight. But this photo…this one held something more.

Emma stared at the brunette woman in the picture accepting an envelope and handing off a large cylinder. The slight smile on her face always kept Emma's focus. It was the same smile that had caught her attention one night several weeks ago when she'd been sitting in the dark corner of the bar that she'd been frequenting lately. Emma had been surprised at the sheer coincidence of seeing the other woman there that night and many nights since.

All the times Emma had looked at the photos of her, she'd never actually approached her. Emma let the photo rest on her leg and reached for her bottle of water. Her mouth suddenly felt dry as she couldn't help but reflect on the times that followed after the first night she'd spotted Regina Mills across the room of that dark hole-in-the-wall the owners referred to as a bar.

Too many nights after, Emma had spotted the brunette across the room and she would watch as she talked to one person or another. Occasionally some of which seemed to be friends she had shown up with. Others not so much. But Emma never made any attempt to approach the other woman, content to just blend in and watch. Though, sometimes her vigil would be interrupted by another female openly wanting something from her. And Emma was always hard-pressed to refuse them as they served for a perfect distraction. The petite brunette was not on the list of options

Maybe she would talk to Neal tomorrow and see if he felt like going out with her. If Neal was there, Emma knew she would be less likely to give in to any wanton female seeking out her attention and after the long week they'd been having, she knew they could both use a drink. Or two. After all, tomorrow was Friday and they had the weekend off. And of course she wouldn't mind catching a glimpse of the one and only Regina Mills, either. Option or not, how much could it hurt to look?

 **. . .**

The bar was located on Mt. Pleasant Avenue northwest, just twelve minutes from FBI headquarters. Emma and Neal liked to go there because it wasn't like most of the bars in DC which seemed to be marketed towards businessmen and the upper class society of DC. The bar remained the same though so many others seemed to change with the times and that's what many locals liked about it. The atmosphere was laid back, you could still get a beer for less than five dollars and there weren't any fancy fifteen dollar drinks to be found. And there weren't any fifty inch televisions showing sports. But there _was_ still an old jukebox in one corner of the dance floor and a makeshift stage for local unknown bands and impromptu jam sessions. For some it was just a hangout. A place to kill time. For others, a place to go and not feel alone. For Emma Swan, it was a stepping stone. A means to an end. Tonight she was there for one reason and that reason was currently on the dance floor getting more attention than she probably realized. But that attention was well deserved and Emma found herself thinking things she knew should be far from her mind.

"Hey." A pair of snapping fingers appeared in front of her face, bringing Emma back to the present. "Have you heard anything I've said?"

"Yeah. Sure." She mumbled, nursing her beer. Tearing her eyes away from the dance floor, Emma turned to look at the person sitting across the table from her.

"Whatever, Swan. You haven't heard a word I've said in the past ten minutes." The guy said, shaking his head. "I could've left and you wouldn't have even realized it."

"I'm sorry, Neal. What were you saying?"

Neal, Emma's best friend and partner stared at her in disbelief. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

"Yeah." She said absently, not even realizing her response was completely irrelevant as her eyes drifted back to the dance floor. Back to her. "I'll be back."

"What are you doin', Swan?" Neal yelled after her, but Emma ignored him.

She was on a mission. Neal hated when she got like this. When she did, there was no stopping her until she got what she wanted. He watched as she walked away, beer in hand, towards the dance floor. Towards the woman with the dark hair that fell just around her shoulders and looks that definitely drew attention. Emma wasn't too bad herself, but Neal never looked at her that way. To him she was just his best friend. One of the guys. To anyone else who saw her, she was tall and gorgeous, with a very well maintained physique.

Neal often joked that she must have been a street fighter in a past life. She had brilliant green eyes and a full head of wavy blonde hair that fell to the middle of her back. When they were younger, her hair had been much darker. But as they'd gotten older, her hair had lightened and her facial features had become much more chiseled and defined.

Emma could have been a Goddess and Neal would have never noticed. He hadn't thought about her that way since their senior year in High School when she'd confessed to him one day that she was pretty sure she liked girls, effectively crushing any schoolboy fantasies he might have had about her, despite their being best friends. When he had questioned the validity of her statement, she'd promptly shut him up with more details than he expected to hear of an encounter between herself and a girl she had messed around with the summer before.

" _What are you saying, Em?" Neal just didn't get it. His best friend had to be joking. They'd known each other since grade school and never once had the thought occurred to him that his best friend might be gay. Emma stared at Neal blankly, waiting for him to catch up and for everything to sink in. The reality of the situation had left his teenage brows furrowed and a questioning look in his eyes. Finally he turned to her, prepared to speak again. "What do you mean when you say 'gay'?"_

" _You really are thick, aren't you!?" Emma said with a laugh. She'd given more thought than she cared to admit about this moment and the confession she had just made. But Neal was her best friend and she knew that he would never reject her. For any reason. And this reason would be no different. It was only the matter of actually saying it out loud and admitting it to herself. "Gay, Neal. Gay. I think- no, I know I like girls."_

" _Em, you're only seventeen. How could you know something like that? Are you sure?"_

 _He turned to face the brick of the gymnasium wall, where they were standing behind the building. More times than either could remember, they had skipped gym to sit behind the building and kill time before they knew they would eventually have to get back to their day. Both of them were athletic enough and enjoyed sports and the other usual extra-curricular activities, but there was something about the idea of forced physical education that neither of them particularly enjoyed. Neal propped against the wall with one hand, the other in his front pocket. He watched as Emma shook her head and proceeded to sit down and lean back against the building. Neal followed suit and both of them remained silent for some time._

" _I don't know how else to explain it." Emma finally broke the silence._

" _Well I mean, I know you've never dated anyone. But I just figured it was because you weren't interested yet." Neal found himself digging for excuses. "Or maybe even because we've always hung out together and you just never made time for it."_

" _Neal, you've had plenty of girlfriends." Emma laughed softly and gave his leg a friendly punch. "I've just never been interested in guys and now I know why."_

" _How can you be sure if you've never went out with anyone?" Neal said, exasperated. He wasn't uncomfortable with the idea. He was just confused. How could Emma be his best friend for so long, without him noticing_ _ **something**_ _? His hesitation to really grasp the idea of his best friend being gay, he realized, had more to do with how blind he'd been than whether or not it was true. "Pick someone… Anyone. And I'll get you a date. That way you'll know for sure."_

 _Emma laughed again. But this time it was much heartier than the moment before._

" _Why are you laughin' at me?" Neal asked, even though he knew that he was about to start laughing right along with her. The entire situation being so surreal to him that he figured laughing was the best way to get past it._

" _Look, we're best friends Neal." Emma paused as she caught her breath and turned to him with a serious look. "And I know we tell each other a lot of things. And sometimes you give me more details than I need. But I really didn't want to have to tell you-"_

" _You didn't want to tell me? Why?" Suddenly Neal's voice took on a hurt tone as he interrupted._

" _Shut up and let me finish!" Emma bumped his shoulder with hers. "I was just hoping I wouldn't have to draw you a crayon portrait of what happened last year."_

" _Last year!?"_

" _The end of the last school year. At the beginning of summer break." Emma clarified. "Do you remember that first day we went to that pool party and there was a girl there from that other school? Kate."_

" _There were a lot of girls there that day, Em. I'm a seventeen year old guy. How do you expect me to remember one girl?"_

" _She was the one with the long blonde hair, wearing the neon yellow bikini." Emma supplied and the look on her best friends face told her that it was coming back to him. "Remember? She was the one that kept sitting at the edge of the pool and refused to get in because she didn't want to mess up her hair!"_

" _Ohhh yeah! That girl!" Neal laughed. "Yeah, she was hot." He paused, the smile leaving his face. "Wait… What about her?"_

 _Emma smiled to herself, remembering._

" _I saw you talking to her. But I figured you were exchanging make-up tips or something equally girly." Neal was still confused. His best friend had never been girly and he knew it, so he wasn't quite sure why he kept making up excuses._

" _What have you done with my best friend?" Emma waved her hand in front of his face. "I have never been girly and I've never worn make up. I was flirting with her."_

" _What do you mean 'flirting' with her? How do you 'flirt' with another girl?"_

" _Well I didn't use one of your cheesy-ass pick-up lines, that's for damn sure!"_

" _Hey, I don't have any cheesy pick-up lines." Neal huffed, acting offended. "My pick-up lines are great."_

" _Yeah. Anyway." Emma continued. "I mean, I didn't realize that I was doing it then. I was just making conversation with her. But apparently I was laying it on thick and one thing led to another and we ended up making plans to go see a movie."_

" _Oh, I remember. It was like the first time you went to the movies without me!" Neal said in a pointed tone. "So you went to the movies. It's not like hanging out constitutes as a date, Em. People go to the movies together all the time and it's definitely not a date unless the guy pays for all-"_

" _We fooled around Neal!" Emma blurted out, tired of skirting around the issue. Her confession shut him up, though his mouth remained open. "And I don't mean at the movie theater, either! And I didn't realize it at the time, but I paid for everything. Our food before. Our tickets. Our drinks. I just thought I was being nice. I didn't realize what it was leading up to."_

" _Oh."_

" _We were really hitting it off so she asked if I wanted to come over to her house, because she lives just a couple blocks from the theater." Emma continued. "And there we were, hanging out in her room and one thing led to another."_

" _How does this 'one thing leads to another' thing work, exactly?" Neal asked. "For two girls, I mean."_

 _Emma sighed loudly and threw her head back. She knew Neal wasn't being a typical guy and fishing for details. But he was genuinely interested in what Emma was going through, so she answered. "Neal. It's the same as when it's a guy and a girl. Only, we were play-fighting. She hit me with a pillow for teasing her about something and when I went back at her, we fell off of her bed and I landed on top of her. There was like this weird moment between us and then we kissed. And some other stuff."_

" _Well." Neal nodded. "Okay then." He paused. "So did you get in her pants?"_

 _Emma's eyes grew round and when she turned to look at Neal in disbelief, the huge smile on his face and the laugh he was biting back made her slug him in the arm as hard as she could._

" _Shit, Swan!" Neal laughed, grabbing his arm. "Why'd you do that!?"_


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

On the dance floor Emma made her way to the woman she'd been watching all night. As she came up behind her another song began to play. The beat was low, heavy on the guitar and almost a little bit blues-y. Something about driving away. It went along perfectly with the thought Emma was having at the moment. Emma let the music flow through her body and fell into motion with the brunette who was dancing with some random guy who'd joined her just before. Emma wasn't a dancer. Usually content to just sit and watch. But something about this woman was drawing her in.

Casually Emma reached over the woman's shoulder, offering up what was left of her beer. Not missing a beat, she accepted the bottle and turned it up, finishing it off. Emma was impressed. She had always respected a woman who knew how to drink. The guy, pretending to dance, stood there eyeing them appreciatively as they danced provocatively together to the sound of the music. Guys, Emma had learned quickly, were always turned on by these sorts of things.

The woman continued to dance with her back to and occasionally against Emma, all the while staring seductively at the guy in front of her. Just as he drew himself closer, feeling brave and thinking that he was about to get involved in something a large percentage of men dream of, the woman took the empty beer bottle and placed it in his hands.

The poor guy was clearly confused as she smiled and put her hands on his chest. With the slightest bit of pressure she pushed him away, dismissing him with a playful wink as she turned to face the woman behind her. They were close enough that their bodies remained in contact as they moved. And the two women moved together as if they'd danced a thousand times before. Their eyes met briefly with something of a spark, causing their gaze to linger just a little longer than either had intended. Emma was beginning to sober quickly as she held her breath and the woman in her arms. The brunette turned her back to Emma once again, pushing their bodies closer together, grinding her backside into Emma's front and leaning back into her chest. After several moments, Regina reached back and took Emma's hands, pulling them around her waist as she let her head fall back into the slightly taller woman's shoulder.

The whole act had become very sexual, which was entirely not what Emma had intended. Or maybe she had. She wouldn't lie to herself. This woman was beautiful and this woman was touching her in a way that felt oddly familiar. Easy to say, considering all the touching that was going on, but it was different Emma knew.

Several moments passed as the dance continued, before she turned once again to look into Emma's eyes. She placed her hand on the back of Emma's neck, pulling her in, close enough to feel the other woman's breath against her cheek. Emma thought the woman was going to kiss her, but instead she leaned in a little further whispering something in her ear. Emma raised a slightly intrigued eyebrow and pulled back to make eye contact once again. She took that brief moment, silently giving her a chance to change her mind, but only received a suggestive smile as the song came to an end.

Taking a deep breath Emma took her hand and led her towards the table where she'd been sitting with her partner. Predictably, Neal was still there. Waiting. Emma grabbed her glasses and helmet from the table.

Leaning over she spoke to Neal with a smile and a wink. "See ya later."

Just as she stepped away, Neal jumped up from his seat and grabbed her by the wrist knowing he was the only person still alive that she allowed to get away with that. Emma nodded to the woman, suggesting she'd be right behind her.

"What are you doing, Swan?" He asked, stepping in so she could hear him over the music. Her only response was a simple shrug as he released her hand. "You can't just leave with her. You know who she is."

"I'm a big girl, Neal." Emma said lightly and gave him a pat on the arm before she walked away.

"I hate it when she says that." He mumbled to himself as he watched her walk through the door.

Outside Emma handed her helmet over to the other woman as she slipped on her riding glasses and led her to a motorcycle. A blacked-out Kawasaki zx14 that she couldn't have been more proud of, with a little more power than was necessary for one person. Emma climbed on first, standing the bike up from its kick-stand. She braced it easily then turned to the woman who took the hand offered to her. Gracefully, she climbed on behind Emma and wrapped her arms comfortably around Emma's waist. Neal stepped outside in time to see the two women speeding away.

Something about the slender, yet strong, arms around her waist was encouraging Emma to drive a little slower and more carefully than she normally would have. Any other time, she drove fast and with purpose. Especially when she had a passenger of the female persuasion. Apparently there was something about the bike that drew women to her, so she would drive fast and almost a little carelessly just to give them a thrill and turn them on. But tonight Emma took her time navigating her way through the brightly lit city streets. Carefully, she made all the appropriate stops and followed the turns suggested by the woman holding onto her. All the while, a slight smirk gracing her lips. Something stirred inside as she pretended to ignore the fact that the other woman's hands had slowly migrated to the tops of her leather covered thighs where they remained, no longer wandering.

 **. . .**

Emma sat with the other woman on the front steps of one of the many townhouses that lined the streets of DC. The streets surrounding DuPont Circle were well taken care of. The foliage was always freshly manicured and the buildings were all impressive. Emma knew the area well. She knew that some of them still remained homes whereas so many others had been turned into offices and such. A large percentage of those being embassy's for each and every country one could possibly name and some that the average person may have never even heard of.

If this is where the woman lived, she was either well taken care of, or made enough money to make someone wonder exactly what she did for a living. DuPont, she knew, was not an inexpensive place to reside. Watching her carefully, even in the dim light of the street lamp Emma could see the intense chocolate brown of the other woman's eyes. They were dancing around the empty street and sidewalks, seemingly avoiding the possibility of eye contact.

 _Say something._ "I didn't get your name?" Emma asked casually. She managed to ignore the absurdity of asking the question now, instead of before she had left the bar with her.

"Regina." She responded with a soft smile, turning to face the woman next to her. Oddly, she didn't ask for Emma's name.

 _Should I be concerned?_ Emma wondered then immediately discarded the thought. After all, it was late and they had both been drinking. One would only have to look at the brunette to tell. Her eyes, though brilliant even in the middle of the night, were slightly glassed over and her relaxed composure would surely give it away.

"So, Regina…" Emma paused. "Why did you, uh, leave with me back there?"

"You were watching me." She answered evenly, calling Emma out on her actions. She smiled to herself then, thinking that Emma wouldn't catch the smirk. "All night… So. Why don't you tell _me_?"

Emma had seen the other woman's slightly amused smile. So she was pleased with herself, knowing that Emma had been watching her? _Maybe I should file that away for later._

"But you don't know me."

"Well if you wanted to kill me, I'm certain it would happen whether I went willingly or not. But statistically it's very rare that women randomly kill, especially other women." She was rambling and laughed somewhat nervously. Emma was surprised by Regina's random tidbit of factual information. "I decided to risk it."

"Maybe it's all part of my _plan_." Emma said in a mysterious tone. It was a failed attempt at flirting and was coming off somewhat creepy and awkward. Emma wasn't used to flirting. She never had to. But something about this woman gave her the urge to be playful.

Regina decided to play along. In a more casual tone, "You could have done it weeks ago, if that were the case." She paused. Another smile. Still refusing to look Emma's way. "I've seen you there before. Alone in that corner most of the time. Watching me sometimes. Or…is it all of the time?"

Emma nodded thoughtfully. Busted. All those times she'd thought she was being careful. Unseen. This woman was too perceptive for her own good, she thought. Or maybe for Emma's own good, which could be bad for her case. Could be bad for both of them, really. She'd have to be more careful.

"You could have a plan." Regina acknowledged with a nod and continued in a sure tone. She called Emma out once again. "Mostly, I just think you like me."

That last comment caught Emma off guard and she fumbled for something to say.

"Point is you shouldn't leave swanky dives with people you don't know. You could get hurt."

"Are you a cop?" Regina quickly leaned back eyeing her curiously. Too fast. Reaching up she rubbed carefully at her eyes which seemed to keep slipping out of focus. She was starting to realize that just maybe she'd had a little too much to drink at the bar and it was beginning to take its toll.

"Not quite…" It was Emma's turn to laugh nervously. "But I do work for an agency." She added. "Independent investigation. Bail bonding. Stuff like that."

"That sounds…like a lot of paperwork."

"Not always."

"Then why'd you leave with me? You don't know me either!"

"I guess I decided to take a chance too." Emma smiled. "I've only ever seen you there with friends a couple of times. So what is someone like you, doing in a place like that alone? It's certainly not for the atmosphere."

"Sometimes I go with friends." She sighed heavily. "And sometimes being alone in a crowded room is much better than being alone in an empty house."

The honesty of Regina's statement saddened Emma. How many times had she felt that exact feeling? How many times had she taken off on her motorcycle and disappeared for hours on end, just to escape the silence of her empty house? Or sat in that bar, looking for someone to connect with for just a little while. Someone to satisfy her most primal need for human contact, however impersonal the interactions were. How could this gorgeous woman sitting next to her be so lonely? Where were her friends? _I want to know everything about you,_ Emma thought to herself. She had to break the silence before her thoughts threatened to run away with her.

"The name's Swan, by the way." Emma quickly changed the subject, running a hand through her wind-blown hair.

"Swan?" Regina repeated. Running the name over in her head again she decided it was an odd name before repeating the thought out loud. "Swan, That's…an odd name. Where are you _from_?"

Emma laughed softly. Reminding herself that the other woman was intoxicated, she went on to explain. "It's my last name. You have a lot of guy friends and that's what you get. I think maybe it makes me less of a threat, or- I dunno 'one of them', I suppose." She explained absently. Turning to face Regina she said, "You can call me Emma."

"Ohh, I like that one better." Her tone was flirtatious and Emma realized the poor woman probably didn't even notice. How could Regina make something so simple sound so sexy? She repeated her name. "Emma. Hmm."

"Well I'm glad it has your approval. I'll let my mother know!" Emma joked. Checking out her surroundings she raised a curious brow and spoke. "So, where are we, exactly?"

"Home." Regina answered, a slight sense of pride reaching her tone. Standing up she extended a hand but Emma didn't take it. "Did you bring me here to sit outside and talk? Or are you coming in?"

Standing, Emma dusted off her pants. Although she found herself slightly aroused at the suggestion in Regina's words, she glanced over her shoulder at the door behind her and said, "I really shouldn't…"

"I promise I don't bite," Regina smiled innocently. Holding out her hands, offering up her wrists she added, "And if I do…then I guess you'll just have to arrest me, Officer."

It tugged at Emma, the show Regina was putting on. Part of her was screaming inside, telling her to take this woman inside now and do what she so obviously wanted Emma to do. But the rational part of Emma's brain told her that she should back away slowly and run. Run as far away from this woman as she could. She scuffed her booted foot across the ground, giving the whole scenario some quiet consideration.

"You're awfully forward about what you want." Looking into Regina's eyes, it came out of her mouth before she even realized she'd been thinking it. Here she was, telling herself to leave and her mouth betrays her.

"I think a woman should know what she wants." Regina responded, locking eyes with the other woman. They remained that way, both of them seemingly unable to look away. Or maybe unwilling was the word. There was a sense of honesty in this woman that Emma was already beginning to appreciate and the hint of innocence that lingered in her eyes wasn't helping Emma to walk away. Something was calling to her. She wanted to know this woman.

Regina closed the distance between them and Emma could feel the blood rushing to her face. Every inch of her body was heating up and all she wanted to do was jump on her bike and take off. Where had all her self-confidence gone? What was stopping her? Emma didn't know but she had enough sense to realize that whatever was holding her back should be reason enough. This wasn't like her at all. If Regina were any other woman she would have already taken her inside and had her halfway to the land of complete ecstasy.

 _What's happening?_ "Maybe just for a minute." Emma told herself that she was only agreeing so she could make sure Regina got settled in safely.

 **. . .**

Once inside, Regina stripped off her jacket and tossed it, along with her keys, on a chair at the end of the hall. The front door opened up to a long entrance hall that ended with a kitchen and connected living space.

"Nice place." Emma complimented, taking in the galley style kitchen with an open bar that looked out into the living room. The living room boasted a solid brick wall on the right hand side of the room and a stark white wall on the other with a staircase that led to the second floor. Both of which were brought together with a floor to ceiling bay window with a low seating area surrounded with pillows that looked as if it might currently be used for curling up with a good book. The floor appeared to be refinished original wood flooring, probably from whenever the home was first constructed. Needless to say, it was a beautiful space. Inspiring, though the furniture in the room was sparse. As was the decoration. Emma wondered what the bedrooms must look like.

"It's home. For now, anyway." Regina responded with a gentle sigh. A look flashed across her eyes making Emma wonder if the woman was waiting for something better to come along.

Regina gestured to the couch and Emma sat.

"Would you like something to drink?" Regina asked from the kitchen, pouring herself a small glass of wine.

Politely, Emma declined. After all, she still had to drive home. That thought alone made Emma realize that she had no intentions of staying very long which was very unlike her at this point. Regina shrugged her shoulders. As if she needed more. But it wasn't Emma's place to comment and so she didn't. Several minutes passed and Regina returned from the kitchen joining Emma on the couch, sitting closer than necessary. Emma watched her carefully, wondering where the situation was headed. After a moment of awkward silence Regina leaned over and though her movements were somewhat exaggerated, she gently sat her glass on the floor and turned to face Emma, who was watching her carefully. There was definitely a connection. A moment of both women taking each other in. Emma sat stiffly, allowing Regina an opportunity to make a move and in her intoxicated state, she did not disappoint. Regina leaned in then pressing her lips to Emma's.

 _Oh Gods, what am I thinking?_ Emma wondered as she found herself slowly responding. Kissing Regina softly, she felt something stir deep inside of her. Something she couldn't remember ever feeling before. Something strong. It had never felt this way with the others. She could taste the remnants of alcohol on Regina's breath. A detail that Emma had never paid attention to with the women before. But a pleasant detail she decided as she felt the silky surface of Regina's tongue brushing against her own.

Against her better judgment, Emma allowed her hand to stroke the soft skin of Regina's neck before she gently pulled away. Her eyes meeting Regina's, Emma fought to control the rush of emotion that seemed to be sweeping over her and she stood quickly, backing away towards the door. There was a rush of panic and fear. Something about this woman scared her and the intensity was suddenly too much for Emma to handle. She couldn't breathe.

"Isn't this what you came here for?" Regina asked. She didn't sound upset, simply confused. She watched as Emma retreated towards the door, unsure of what had gone wrong.

Emma, on the other hand, was surprised. And shocked for more reasons than she could count. Normally, yes, it was exactly what she would have been there for. But not tonight. Tonight was different. This woman was different. So she quickly retrieved her red leather jacket from the arm of the sofa where she'd been sitting. She knew, in her right mind, exactly why they'd left the bar together. But somewhere between there and Regina's home, something had changed. Something had changed and Emma suddenly felt the need to be somewhere else. Something about this woman was sending up red flags, regardless of the opposite reaction her body seemed to be having. She deserved better than Emma's typical one night stand.

 _I'm a really bad person, aren't I?_

"It's really not." She finally answered, looking down at Regina who was still sitting on the couch with a confused look on her face. "Maybe you're…used to people using you for- for I don't know, whatever. But that's not what I'm about."

 _Lie._

 _Huge lie._

That was a big fat lie and Emma knew it before it ever escaped her lips. It had become her M.O. It's what she did. Find a female. Get what she needed. Move on. No sticking around. No sleeping over. Not anymore. It came with too much baggage. So why wasn't she going for it? This woman wanted her. Regina was speechless. Seeing this, Emma pulled out a pen from inside her jacket. Conveniently a small stack of post-its were sitting on the end table and she reached for them. Quickly, she jotted down a number and placed the stack back on the table. She stepped towards the door.

"I don't want to be that person. So I'm gonna go. And if you don't uh, you know, hate me tomorrow- give me a call. Anytime. I wrote down my cell." She gestured to the small stack of paper and allowed her eyes to connect with Regina's one last time before she turned to the door to leave.

Regina watched as the door closed quietly behind the woman who'd just walked out of her home. Emma Swan. Regina sat back and pulled her legs up and underneath her chin. Sighing to herself she surveyed the room, her eyes landing on the glass of her forgotten wine.

"Well that didn't end like I thought it would…" she mumbled to herself.

Taking a deep breath, Regina forced herself to stand. Rubbing her eyes once more, she yawned and made her way to the sink, pouring out the remaining contents of her glass. She'd had too much to drink and only now that she was alone, was she beginning to realize just how much was too much. _What was I thinking?_ Regina thought to herself as she made her way upstairs to the bedroom. Not bothering to pull back the bedspread, she stretched out on her back and fumbled around for a pillow. When her hand finally landed on what she'd been looking for, she tucked it neatly under her head and closed her eyes.

Regina laid there for several minutes before she realized that as tired as she might be, she wasn't going to be falling asleep just yet. Every time she tried to close her eyes, images of Emma kept running through her mind. Regina was sure she'd been right. Why else would the other woman have been watching her so often, if she didn't want her? Instead, she'd brought Emma to her home and made a complete fool of herself. Rolling off of the bed, she slowly made her way back down the stairs and to the couch once again. She snagged the post-it pad that Emma had left on her table and studied the numbers in her hand.

 **A/N: Please take a moment to let me know what you do/don't like about the story! Reviews, no matter how long or short, are all it takes to keep a writer going! And are always appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: While the characters aren't mine...I really do hope you enjoy the AU they've been sucked into. No, they are not 100% in character, but that's kind of the point, right? So please please please, if you like/dislike/have questions, please do not be afraid to drop me a line. Lack of feedback is a total mood killer and generally causes me to have trouble finishing fics! :(**

 **CHAPTER 3**

Instead of going home Emma headed to her best friend's house in Capitol Heights. It was almost one in the morning and she knew that he was probably already in bed, long since asleep. Neal was like that. He wasn't one to stay out late and party. In bed by ten during the week and midnight on the weekends. When she reached his house, she pulled out the spare key he'd given her forever ago and used it to unlock the door. She was careful not to make much noise as she made her way through the dark to his room. Stopping in the doorway she took a moment to allow her eyes to adjust. A smiled crept up on her lips as she got an idea.

She moved to stand next to the bed and slowly, careful not to move him too much, crawled over and stretched out beside him. Leaning in, she whispered Neal's name into his ear making sure to breathe heavily. Unexpectedly, Neal rolled over and wrapped his arm around Emma's waist, pulling her close. Emma was pretty sure that Neal wasn't sleeping with his gun, so the hard object against her leg, left her suddenly regretting her decision to give him a bad time. She became worried for a moment before he finally realized something wasn't right and lazily opened his eyes. They were face-to-face.

"Jesus Christ, Swan!" Neal grumbled, shoving away from her to roll out of his bed. Flipping on the light, he decided to gripe at her some more. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What?" She smiled at him innocently as she watched him standing there in nothing more than his boxer briefs. He was covering the parts of himself that were testament to the dream he'd probably been having and fumbling around for something to put on. "You're disappointed waking up with a woman in your bed?"

He stopped what he was doing to look up at her. "I don't see a woman in my bed. Just you."

"Aw, Neal. That hurts." Emma said with a pout.

"What are you _doing_ here?" He demanded, seemingly irritated at being woken up so rudely. It was okay though. Emma knew that he could never be annoyed with her for long before coming back at her with something of his own. "And what if I hadn't had any clothes on?"

"Oh Gods," A disgusted yet bored look crossed her face and she rolled her eyes. "It's not like I haven't seen it before. And let me tell you, I wasn't impressed." She paused, a concerned look crossing her face. "Did it ever get any bigger?"

Neal rolled his eyes. "Did yours?"

"Of course!" She gave him a cocky grin.

"Nice. That's real nice, Emma." He mumbled, pulling on a pair of sweats that he dug out of the hamper. Neal sighed, knowing that Emma was just giving him a bad time. He was used to her antics and was mostly immune to them. But somehow, being woke up in the middle of the night still wasn't on his list of things to forgive so easily.

"Oh c'mon. I know you have a sense of humor!"

Ignoring her, "What's going on? I didn't think I'd hear from you until tomorrow." He said pointedly. "What's the matter? She turn you down? Must be losing your touch, Swan…"

"Funny. Nice to know what you really think of me." She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Nothin' happened. I gave her a ride home. End of story."

"What'd she have to say?" Neal asked, walking down the hall. Emma climbed out of his bed and followed him to the kitchen. She hopped up on the counter. "Did you find out anything we don't already know?"

"Oh come on Neal, I was with her for an hour. Tops. She was more than a little intoxicated and I almost forgot to ask her _name_." Emma left out the part where she had allowed the other woman to kiss her and that she was a little unsure of why she'd pushed her away.

"Well that wouldn't be a first, now would it?" he smirked, amusing himself.

 _Well I walked into that one, I suppose._ Emma smiled sweetly but Neal knew it was laced with sarcasm which was typical. Just as she was about to respond, her phone started going off. Emma looked at the buzzing object in her hand. Restricted. She hated when it said 'Restricted'. When her boss called, it said 'Restricted'. Emma looked up, a flash of irritation crossing her face.

"Why is he calling me?" Emma asked even though she knew Neal wouldn't have an answer. "Jesus."

Neal gave Emma a sympathetic look. If Ragan was calling in the middle of the night, it was never good.

Emma slid her thumb across the screen to answer the call. "Yes sir? Is-" she paused when she didn't hear the automatic yelling that she usually heard when she answered his calls. Confused, she spoke again. "Hello?"

At Emma's look of surprise Neal began waving his hands at her, mouthing words at her, asking who was on the phone. He just assumed it was his business, but she always seemed to grace him with an answer.

"Regina. Hi." She said, satisfying her partner's nosy curiosity. Sliding off of the counter she walked around the island and pulled a stool out from under the breakfast bar and took a seat. "What can I do for you?"

'What can I _do_ for you?' Neal mouthed at her, disbelief marring his features. He rolled his eyes. "Jesus…" he mumbled, turning to retrieve a bottle of water from the fridge.

"I was-" On the other end of the line Regina paused. "Well I was- Okay, so I'm pretty embarrassed right now and I wanted to apologize. You may not believe this now, but I swear to you I don't usually do things like- like what I did tonight." Another pause. _Change the subject._ "Are you doing anything Sunday?"

"Sunday? No. No, I'm usually free on Sunday's."

Suddenly Regina found herself wondering why she had called. She didn't know this woman therefore she didn't owe her any explanations for her actions. So why did she care? Why did she feel the need to explain herself? It was either the alcohol or she was out of her mind and called without a real plan and no idea what they _could_ do since Emma wasn't 'doing anything Sunday'. She'd been hoping Emma would have said more, but it was becoming clear that she wasn't much of a conversationalist. Regina couldn't decide if it was a bad thing, or something she actually liked about the other woman.

"So. Well, I was…wondering-" She paused.

"You were wondering?" Emma prompted gently. She held the phone to her ear with one hand and glanced at her nails on the other, smiling to herself. Waiting.

"If you might want t-to do something?"

"What do you have in mind?" Emma was pushing her now, wondering how long it would take the other woman to make her point. If they were going to do this, she wanted Regina to do all the work. To come to her and not the other way around, afraid that she might come across as overbearing and scare the other woman away. Emma had already pushed things too far by approaching Regina in the bar, a couple hours earlier. The last thing she needed was to blow their case. Her boss was always looking for a good reason to bitch at her and he usually did it with _out_ reason. Fuel to the fire. That's all this was going be.

"Well you could come over and- we'll go from there?"

Making a date without making actual plans was never a good idea. It left too much room for things to get way off track. And Emma wasn't exactly good at 'winging it', where women were concerned. She usually found herself giving in to whatever they suggested. Mostly, they were only ever after her for one thing and it usually led to them never leaving the house. Normally that worked out good for her because Emma wasn't exactly the 'dating' type, but mentally, she'd already established that things were different with this one.

Nonchalantly she responded, "Sounds good. What time?"

"Oh. Well, whenever you want?" The indecision was mildly annoying to Emma, but she had to cut Regina some slack, given that it was rather late. And not to mention the fact that she'd had a little too much to drink and probably wasn't likely sobering up any time soon. It also left Emma with the thought that maybe this woman had no idea what she wanted from her. "What's good for you?"

"How about I come by around noon?"

After wrapping up the conversation Emma sat her phone down. When she looked up, Neal was leaning on the counter, a grin plastered on his face.

 **. . .**

Regina dropped her phone to the couch next to her leg. The phone call hadn't exactly gone the way she had planned either. But Regina reasoned that given the circumstances, it could have gone much worse. And now she had an entire day to wait for the next time she would see the other woman. Deciding against another trek back to her bed, Regina stretched out on the couch and laced her fingers together behind her head.

She lay there thinking about the woman she'd kissed tonight and closed her eyes. Emma's lips had been unexpectedly soft and inviting. And the memory of Emma's tongue sliding across her own was almost enough to drive her crazy. Regina knew she shouldn't have left the bar with the other woman. It wasn't something she had ever done before. But she'd found herself drawn to the blonde, knowing that Emma had been watching her for weeks. There was something about her that set Regina's blood on fire and sent it rushing through her veins. She wanted this woman like she'd never wanted anyone.

Pulling a blanket down from the back of the couch, Regina covered herself hoping that she'd be able to get warm and fall asleep. But after laying there for several minutes, listening to the silence, Regina was beginning to feel restless. She couldn't get Emma off of her mind and she found herself shifting positions on the couch again. She wasn't sure what it was, but she needed something and was beginning to feel mildly uncomfortable.

Regina tossed the cover to the floor, suddenly feeling hot. Annoyed, she pulled her shirt over her head and dropped it to the floor. As she reached for the button of her jeans, Regina realized exactly why she was feeling so edgy and blushed heavily. No one had ever turned her on this way and the amount of alcohol consumed wasn't helping matters at all.

Regina wasn't in the habit of drinking too much. But when Emma Swan had walked into the bar earlier in the evening, Regina had made up her mind that she was going to make some kind of move and needed all the courage she could get. Oddly enough, the other woman had approached her first. But now here she was, heavily intoxicated, extremely turned on and all alone. Reaching beside the couch, Regina turned the switch on the table lamp, engulfing the room in darkness.

With heavy arms, she unzipped her jeans and pushed them past her hips and kicked them off of her feet. Lying there in just her undergarments Regina knew exactly what she needed. Her skin was warm as she ran her hands across her chest, over her bra and down the taut muscles of her stomach, stopping at the edge of her lacy red panties.

Regina couldn't help but imagine that it was Emma's hands on her, touching her everywhere. Slipping her hand under the delicate material, she found a pool of wetness there that covered her fingers and allowed her to slide them effortlessly through the slick folds. Regina thought she would come instantly, she was so sensitive. Closing her eyes and arching her back, she teased herself gently, not wanting it to be over so soon.

 **. . .**

"What are you smiling about?" Emma asked with a sigh. It was her turn to act disgusted.

"You're gonna be on the boss's shit list for sure, Swan." Neal shook his head and laughed.

"When am I not, Neal?" Emma rolled her eyes. "He's always pissed about something. Like I looked at him wrong or walk into the office with a smile on my face and he thinks I'm up to something."

"You're always up to something."

"You're a great friend." Emma responded sarcastically before pinning him with a serious look. "And he's _not_ going to find out about this. I'm outta here. I'll let you go back to bed now. Sorry I woke you up." _Why_ _ **did**_ _I drive all the way over here and wake him up? Because you needed to cool off and you didn't want to be alone._

"Look, Em. Why don't you just crash here? You know the spare is always yours when you need it." Neal headed for the hallway that led to his room, but Emma didn't follow. She stood from the bar stool and walked towards the door. "It's two in the morning…"

"I'm not tired, Neal. Thanks though." She looked down and ran a hand through her tousled hair. "I think I'm gonna ride around some."

"Be careful Em. Please?"

"Yeah, yeah. I gotcha."

Emma walked out the door and closed it gently behind her. The night air had cooled off considerably since her ride from Regina's to Neal's house just outside the city. It was late July and Emma found herself wondering why it wasn't warmer. She pulled her worn red leather jacket tighter around her body and tugged the zipper until it was almost to her neck. If it was cool now, the ride was going to be even cooler.

Mounting her motorcycle she pulled her helmet down onto her head and tightened the strap below her chin. Turning the key just above the tank, she flipped a switch and the high pitched whine of the engine filled her ears.

 _Maybe I'll ride around until the sun comes up,_ Emma thought. There was no way she would be sleeping any time soon and the thought of going back to an empty house depressed her to no end. If she stayed out on the bike, at least she would be so worn out by the time she actually went home, that she could just crash on the couch and leave the rest of the world behind.

For a little while anyway.

But for now she was going to settle for the quiet time the bike permitted her and use it wisely. It always gave her time to clear her mind and think about things, which came in handy quite often considering the job she had. Tracking down bad guys wasn't all blazing guns and glory and fun times like they show on television. And it rarely ever happened as fast. Emma knocked the kickstand from the ground and took off.

Three and a half hours later Emma was parking her bike in the garage of her two-story home. She wasn't sure exactly where all she had been, but the time had flown by and all she found herself thinking about was the petite brunette she had run away from several hours ago. Regina's voice kept ringing in her ears and she hadn't been able to shake the memory of her gentle, yet persistent and familiar kisses.

There was something about her that Emma couldn't explain. She climbed the front steps after securing the garage and methodically unlocked the front door without too much effort. Once inside, she stopped at the bottom of the stairs that led to the second floor. She glanced up at the top step and the landing it led to. Sighing heavily, she slid her jacket from her broad shoulders and left it hanging on the banister as she turned to make her way to the living room.

The couch was calling to her and so she answered. Stretching out, she grabbed the pillow that was always there and pulled it close, wrapping herself around it. A moment passed and Emma's breathing fell into a steady rhythm as the sun slowly made its way onto the horizon.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Two days later. Emma stood on the landing in front of the door to Regina's home. She attempted to knock several times, but each time failed to have the courage to put her hand to the door. Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand for the fourth time. Just as she was about to bite the proverbial bullet the door opened to reveal Regina on the other side.

"Regina. Hi!" Emma blurted out in a brief moment of panic. Why was she panicking? _I am an FBI agent. I am not supposed to panic_ , she thought, bringing her hand quickly back down to her side.

"Hi!" Regina smiled brightly, stepping out the door. Emma backed up uncertainly, giving her space. "I was…" Regina gestured "just about to step down there to get my mail. You're welcome to wait inside and I'll…be right back in. Don't go anywhere." She smiled again.

 _Oh, I'm not going anywhere._ Emma tentatively stepped over the threshold and walked into the house. The first time she was there, she hadn't gone any further than the couch. But this time she found herself looking around, curiously. The homes in DuPont were open and spacious and usually very nice. Or so Emma had heard. Regina's was the first she'd been invited into. Just inside the front door, there was another door just before the kitchen that she had missed. A spare room maybe. The door was open and so she decided to look inside.

Normally, Emma realized, she might have been going through a person's belongings, given this much time alone. Instead she merely indulged herself in whatever was visible, silently perusing the room, hands clasped loosely behind her back while she waited for Regina to return. She didn't want to risk the chance that she could come back at any moment.

Still browsing, Emma saw that Regina had an easel in the middle of the room, a canvas propped on it with what appeared to be a work-in-progress. Aside from that, there were several other paintings of various sizes, shapes and colors positioned along the walls. She took a moment to admire the few of them that weren't turned with their backs to the room. It was as if each one of the paintings were calling out to her, attempting to draw Emma in. She found herself giving each one consideration, coming to the conclusion that not one of the works of art was similar in any way. There were portraits and landscapes and still life. Some appeared to be abstract and impressionist. But the ones that really blew her away...were the ones that appeared to be photo realistic.

Emma took what little knowledge she had of the art world and put it to use. An artist normally just had a style that was uniquely their own. You could choose one, compare each piece of their work and find some sort of technique that connected them all and linked that piece to its creator. But not this work. Each piece was definable and different and left Emma wondering what this said about the woman who had painted them.

"Now that you know _my_ secret, care to share one of yours?" Emma jumped at the sound of Regina's voice. Why hadn't she heard her come back? Had she really been so immersed in the art that she hadn't heard the other woman approaching? She was slipping. This was bad. "So. What do you think?"

"These are beautiful." Emma answered, giving each piece one last look before turning her back to the art in favor of following Regina into her kitchen.

"Guilty pleasure." She shrugged. "Something you don't have to be good at, to actually be good at…you know?"

There was a moment of silence. Emma understood.

"So…" Emma started though she was not quite sure what to say. "What do you, uh…do? Work- I mean."

"Hmmm…." Regina vocalized the thought she was giving to her answer and lifted herself up to sit on the kitchen counter. She laughed nervously. "I always hate that question. When I answer, people assume that I must be spoiled and rich. I mean, I sell my paintings sometimes. But mostly to people who know my uncle. They always pay me _way_ more than they are really worth. I think they just do it as a favor to him. I've uh, never had a job."

"I thought it was just a guilty pleasure?" Emma commented, leaning back against the counter opposite Regina.

"A guilty pleasure that I get paid for on occasion?" She smiled innocently and shrugged her shoulders.

"Don't sell yourself short just because you're unsure of your talent. Whatever they pay you, I'm sure they are the ones benefiting."

"Not to sound spoiled, but my uncle insists on taking care of me. Plus I have the insurance money from- He- he raised me after my parents died."

"Oh," Emma flinched genuinely, even though she'd already known about Regina's family. She knew almost everything about this woman, but found herself wanting to know more. She wanted to know _every_ thing. Not just what she'd read in some report. She wanted to know the more intimate side. The personal things. What makes this woman tick? What makes her smile? Laugh. Cry… "I'm really sorry to hear that…"

"It happened when I was thirteen. I didn't really get a chance to know them."

"Still. Thirteen is more than old enough for you to have bonded deeply with them. My relationship with my parents has never been outstanding, but I- I can't imagine not having them at all."

A few moments of silence passed, neither woman knowing what to say.

"What happened?" Emma asked cautiously. She already knew the official answer to her question, but she wanted to hear Regina's story. "If you don't mind my asking?"

"I don't mind at all." Regina smiled genuinely. "We were on our way home from a restaurant. I remember it was the middle of the week. A Wednesday night. Anyway, it was raining and we were going through a sharp curve and the next thing I remember is waking up in a hospital."

 _I wonder what other lies they've told her?_ Emma thought to herself and watched as Regina sat silently in reflection.

"I kept asking for my mom and the nurses just kept telling me that the doctors were taking care of them. And that everything would be okay." Another pause. "It wasn't until my father's oldest brother showed up that I knew something was really wrong. He was the one who told me that there had been an accident and that mother and father had been hurt badly. That they hadn't survived."

"I'm sorry…" Emma spoke softly, her voice laced with sympathy.

"He said the police on the scene told him that my father must have lost control going through the curve and because the road was wet, the car just flipped. I don't even remember crying. I was old enough to understand and I did understand. I just couldn't cry." Regina shrugged, running a hand through her hair. "Uncle Luis, he just sat there with me, looking at me like he was waiting for me to fall apart. Maybe it was shock, I don't know. I saw counselor after counselor. They put me on medication. But I was fine. When I was alone and I would think about my parents, I knew that they were okay. So I figured what was the point in being sad? They were cremated and I was given their ashes. So I felt like they were never gone. But everyone thought there was something wrong with me because I didn't react or grieve the way they thought I should."

"Everyone handles things differently." Emma reassured her.

"I guess as I got older, they just let it go. But Uncle Luis treats me like I'm still that little girl." Regina laughed to herself and shook her head. "So here I am, living my life and being happy."

"Do you have a big family?"

"Well, I was an only child." Regina started. "But my father was the youngest out of five brothers, so I have plenty of aunts and uncles and cousins. That side of my family is Spanish, in a ridiculous way. My father married my mother who was an only child herself and American, of course."

"I guess that's where you get your hair from?" Emma smiled.

"Oh yeah. Every picture I have of my parents, my mother's hair is a very light brown." A light was reaching Regina's eyes as she continued to talk about her mother. "She had great hair!" She laughed, running a hand through her own hair. "But I suppose I'm proof that certain genes always dominate."

"Somehow I don't think you were ever destined to be any different than you are." The compliment slipped past Emma's lips before she realized what she was saying. The sincerity of her statement surprised them both, she could tell by the shy smile that appeared on the other woman's lips. "I mean…I think everyone turns out exactly the way they're meant to. Everything happens for a reason. Fate, destiny and all that good stuff."

"That must be why you're standing in my kitchen this very moment then?" Regina went with it.

"Speaking of which, you should be more careful you know?" Regina looked at her uncertain as to where Emma was going with this. "You let me into your apartment and left me alone."

 _Here we go again,_ Regina thought to herself. "Soooo…we're back on this again. Did you steal anything?" Regina asked bluntly. "I mean, it wouldn't actually be stealing, until you've _left_ with it, but-"

"Well, no." Emma, thrown, responded with a slight lift of her brow. She looked down at the floor and smiled to herself, knowing that she was being a little ridiculous

"Then what should I be more careful about?" She paused. Regina knew that they were slowly beginning to dance around each other. Testing the waters. So she added "It's not like I let every random person into my home. I have standards, you know."

 _I meet her standards?_ Emma questioned herself. She regarded Regina carefully before saying anything more. It seemed to her that for the niece of such a high profile member of the Mexican Mafia or La Eme as it was also known, this woman was far too trusting. Mostly, Emma didn't trust anyone any further than she could throw them. Mafia or not. And Regina's current display of 'ignorance is bliss', was leading Emma to believe that she might need to start reconsidering everything she _thought_ she knew about her.

 _Say something._ "It just seems to me that in such a big city, a person- a woman would be a little more cautious. Even with other women."

"Are you _trying_ to warn me away from you? Or is paranoia just your 'thing'?" Regina waved her hands around in the air, punctuating her question. After a second she turned, pulling a cookie out of a jar and started using her hands to speak once again. "This is like the tenth time we've talked about this…" An exaggeration.

Emma allowed a slight smile to creep onto her lips as she watched Regina chewing thoughtfully on the small snack. What was that saying she'd heard so long ago? Something about how you could tell by watching a person eat, how good they were in bed? Emma shook the thought from her mind. That was the last thing she needed to be concentrating on.

"I wouldn't say I'm paranoid. I've just seen and heard about too many bad things that have happened to people in this city." She told her. "You have to be careful."

"I'll keep that in mind." Regina smiled. "But I don't think I'll start with you."

"Why's that?"

"Because then I'd have to ask you to leave."

She recognized that Regina was trying to be playful and decided to go along with it. She wasn't the type who usually went for who or what she wanted. Emma was the kind of person who sat back and let people come to her. And when they would, she never kept them around for very long. But with Regina, Emma suddenly found herself throwing caution to the wind. Wasn't this the woman who had scared her away two nights ago? Who had sent her running for the hills, as far away as possible? But something was calling her back. Every part of her body suddenly seemed to have a mind of its own. Pushing away from the counter, she moved to stand in front of Regina, carefully placing her hands on both of her legs. Emma searched Regina's deep brown eyes, silently asking permission to move in closer.

"We couldn't have that." Slowly she slid her hands up the outside of Regina's legs, stopping at her waist. "Maybe I was a little…hasty, the other night when I stopped you from…kissing me."

Emma's heart was pounding in her chest and Regina found herself leaning forward, her face inches from Emma's. The remainder of the small snack was long forgotten as it slipped unnoticed from Regina's fingers and fell from the counter to the floor. No one had ever elicited this reaction Emma's senses seemed to be having. Not even- No. She didn't want to think about that. She _wouldn't_ think about that.

Especially now.

Especially here.

Not with this woman.

Their lips found each other and Regina allowed Emma to take the lead, parting her lips when Emma's tongue sought entrance. Amazing, the young Agent thought to herself, feeling the sharp burning sensation that ran through her body, directly to her core. Emma laced her fingers through the belt loops on Regina's jeans, using them as leverage to pull her to the edge of the counter.

Instinctively, Regina's legs wrapped themselves around the other woman's waist. Her fingers curling into Emma's hair as if she had no control over her own body. They continued to kiss feverishly as if the other could disappear at any moment. Emma's hands fell away from the loops, searching for the hem of Regina's shirt.

A moment later, hands touching bare skin, caressing the small of her back set Regina's body on fire. Every inch of her skin felt as if it was burning and she wanted more. She was beginning to feel lightheaded and the next thing she knew, her whole body was completely weightless and she realized that Emma had lifted her from the counter. Regina pulled back for a moment and found herself looking into Emma's green eyes. She could tell that this woman was an old soul and somehow knew they had been here before. That they belonged here now. To each other.

"Upstairs." Regina whispered, telling Emma where to take her. Everything about Emma felt incredibly familiar to Regina. Before she knew what she was doing, Regina's hands were on the back of Emma's neck, pulling her in for another kiss.

Emma was walking blindly. Moving on instinct, remembering the way everything was laid out; Emma found herself hoping that she could make it up the stairs to Regina's bed before she lost her grip _and_ her nerve. She'd done a lot of things in her life, but carrying a woman up a set of stairs without looking where she was going was completely new to her. She knew what she was doing was insane. This was a case and she shouldn't be here with this woman. Not here. Not now. The timing was terrible, but Emma couldn't stop herself. She wanted more.

She wanted to touch every inch of this woman's body. Wanted to get lost. To crawl inside her skin and never return. She felt her legs come into contact with the bed and eased forward laying Regina down. Emma didn't let go, but instead supported her own weight as she balanced herself above the other woman. Her heart was racing as she pressed their bodies closer. A sense of urgency lingered inside, but Emma refused to rush. Tearing her mouth away, she planted a trail of kisses from Regina's ear, down the line of her neck and to her chest, nibbling carefully on the bit of exposed flesh just above her breasts.

With her head thrown back, her back slightly arched, Regina was breathing heavily and saw no sign of change in her near future. Somehow, Emma remained oddly composed. At least it appeared that way to Regina. Emma moved back up to Regina's lips once more, kissing her deeply. Slowly and with purpose. And it was almost enough to send Regina over the edge but she remained there, lingering on the verge of ecstasy, waiting- no, hoping for more.

"Oh Gods…" Regina mumbled between kisses. Emma smiled before taking possession of Regina's lips. Neither of them could hear anything except for the sound of deep steady breathing and soft sensual moaning that turned them on just a little bit more.

Emma reached for Regina's hands where they were around her neck and moved them to pin her wrists above her head. She drew her tongue from the exposed line of cleavage, to the tip of Regina's chin, causing her back to arch as she writhed beneath the soft weight of Emma's body. Supporting herself with her legs where she remained suspended over Regina's slightly smaller form, Emma lifted herself, letting go of Regina's arms in exchange for placing her hands on the hem of the other woman's shirt.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked softly.

"Yes." Regina nodded her head, her face flushed from all the emotions she was currently experiencing. Emma leaned in to kiss her once more, pulling her shirt up just a little as her hands pushed their way underneath. Slowly finding their way towards her breasts.

"I-" Regina tried to speak between kisses. "I've never…"

Emma paused, pulling back to look Regina in the eyes, giving her a moment to get out what she was trying to say. Neither of them realized that her impending admission was about to bring their tryst to a quick halt.

"You've never what?" She smiled sweetly at the woman beneath her. Regina looked away shyly, pulling back into herself as a child might do in the presence of a stranger, suddenly conscious of how things were about to go.

"Regina?" Emma urged, wondering where their conversation was headed. Gently, she pulled Regina's shirt back into place. "You've never what?"

"Never…" she took a deep breath. "Never been- with a-…"

"Oh." Emma whispered, the realization of the words sweeping over her like a tidal wave. It was all she could say. It wasn't as if Emma had never had sex with a straight woman. She'd been a first for many of them, in fact. But it still remained that something about Regina was different. Emma didn't want to just use her and move on. She wanted to take care of her. Provide for, shelter and protect her. And she had no clue where it was all coming from.

Regina pulled away and Emma moved off of her to sit next to Regina on the bed. Emma never looked away, watching as Regina sat up. She tugged her shirt back into place. _She looks like a scared teenager on her first date._ Timid. That's the word Emma was searching for. This extremely happy, cheerful, 'knows-what-she-wants' woman had done a one hundred and eighty degree turn around in a matter of seconds. Emma reached out to touch Regina's arm.

"Regina?" Emma encouraged Regina to look up at her. _I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say_.

No response. Regina had met Emma's green eyes with her chocolate brown, but didn't speak. She sat there waiting. Her emotions were fighting back and forth between fear, humiliation and the unfamiliar primal need her body was telling her to act on.

"Okay, um... I guess I- hell, I don't know what to say. I'm not gonna lie." Emma shrugged, running a hand through her long hair. "There are a million things running through my brain right now. And I don't know what to say."

Regina dropped her head into her hands. No news was bad news. Isn't that what they say?

"Okay," Emma began in a rational tone. She reached for Regina's leg and placed her hand there, hoping to reassure her that everything was okay. "Right now? There _is_ one question that keeps popping up more than the others and that would be, 'Are you attracted to women?'."

The answer was faint, but reached Emma's sensitive ears. "I'm attracted to _you_ …"

"Okay, so, that's a start." Emma paused, thinking carefully how to word the next few questions. "So when you say 'never', I'm assuming that you mean you've never had _sex_ with a woman?" Regina nodded, listening carefully. "What about kissing? Have you kissed other women?"

"Yes," Regina's tone seemed slightly more confident. "I've just never, you know…gone through with it."

"'Gone through with it.' Okay, well, then this definitely isn't going to happen right now." Emma saw Regina take in a deep breath and release it slowly. She didn't want to upset the woman, but Emma just didn't think she was ready to 'break her in' on the first day they spent together. Especially not when she thought more of her than that. _Change the subject and make it quick._ "I think we should go somewhere."

"Okay. What do you have in mind?"

 _How did I let this get so out of hand?_ "We could go get food, for starters? I'm pretty hungry." Emma was grasping at straws. Anything that would get them out of the bedroom would be good at this point. "There's a cafe over on Connecticut Avenue that I go to a lot. Great food. Outdoor seating…" _Plenty of distraction._

"That sounds good." Regina answered. "I could definitely eat."

Emma smiled and stood from the bed. Facing the other woman she extended a hand which Regina accepted and allowed Emma to pull her up. Only inches apart, Emma reached out and brushed a few stray hairs away from the other woman's eyes. _What is it about your eyes?_ She allowed her hand to linger on Regina's cheek and smiled reassuringly. Leaning in, Emma placed a light kiss on Regina's lips.

"We'll go get some food and we can talk." Emma smiled, sighing mentally and silently wishing for a cold shower instead of food.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

The two women decided to walk to the cafe Emma had suggested. It was only a few blocks away and the weather was nice, offering the opportunity for conversation that her motorcycle wouldn't have allowed. And conversation was what they both needed. As they walked to the front door, Emma stepped forward to open it for the other woman. Regina smiled to herself and glanced at Emma to thank her as she stepped out onto the front steps. Outside the sun was shining and the temperature was perfect for the walk ahead. Emma gestured to the right and fell into step with the woman by her side.

"Have you had a good morning?" Emma asked, breaking the silence. Shoving her hands into her pockets she risked a glance at Regina, trying hard to not think about what had just happened between them.

"I have." Regina responded with a smile. "What about you?"

"Let's see, I woke up, took the best shower ever, got on my bike and went for a ride, ended up here…" Emma nodded. "Yeah. I'd say my day has started off pretty good."

The conversation was light. But it felt forced and Emma silently hoped that something would cut the tension she was feeling. Walking next to this woman felt right, but not knowing what to say was making it a little hard to stay focused.

"What made it the best ever?" Regina asked. Her tone serious.

"What?" Emma looked at the woman next to her, confused. She had been lost in thought and was suddenly lost on their conversation as well. Then it hit her. "OH." She laughed to herself. "My shower. Yeah. I don't know. I just appreciate a good shower."

"You must have good water pressure."

"Oh, definitely good water pressure."

"Do you have one of those expensive shower heads?" Regina inquired. "With all the different settings and special spray options?"

"No…no, actually it was pretty cheap. One spray option." Emma answered. "Mine was leaking and I picked up a new one at a one-stop-shop, so. Dumb luck I guess."

"So now every shower is your best shower ever?" Regina smiled to herself. "Hmm..."

"It always makes me feel human again after a long day." Emma laughed out loud. "How did we even get here? This is officially the strangest conversation I have ever had." She stopped walking, causing Regina to pause in her step as well. Emma turned to look at her and smiled. "I like it."

"It's nice to be a little random sometimes." Regina smiled back at her. "With random, you never know where a conversation can go."

With that, they resumed walking.

"Just another block and we'll be there." Emma informed her. "To the best food you've had all day."

"But I haven't eaten today."

"That's not true." Emma responded seriously.

"How do you know?" Regina countered.

"I watched you nibble on a cookie." Emma answered flatly. "That's not a healthy breakfast, you know."

Regina smacked her playfully on the arm as they crossed the street, causing Emma to laugh.

"Smartass." Regina rolled her eyes in mock disgust.

Both women were quiet as they approached the hostess stand. They were greeted and seated quickly with menus in front of them and a glass of water while they waited.

"What's good here?" Regina asked, looking over the menu at the woman sitting across from her. Despite living so close to the cafe, Regina had never been there. With so many food and restaurant options in the Dupont area, it was easy to say you'd never eaten at a specific place, even if said place was right next door.

"I guess that depends on what kind of food you like." Emma started. "If you want something light, I'd definitely suggest the house salad. If you like meat, I'd have to suggest the blue burger. But that's strictly because I'm a blue cheese fan. If you like soups, go with the French onion. It's to-die-for. Oh! They also have a seafood penne pasta that literally melts in your mouth and I-"

Regina held up her hand, stopping Emma mid-sentence.

"I'm more confused now, than I was when I was looking for myself." Regina laughed and narrowed her eyes in curiosity. "Have you eaten everything on the menu?"

"Maybe." Emma said, pretending to be offended. "Don't judge me. Besides, you asked."

"That, I did." She smiled.

"Sorry…" Emma smiled, giving her a small shrug. "I love food."

"You love showers, you love food…"

"I'm a passionate person." Emma's tone was serious. "Remember. No judging."

"No judging." Regina shook her head. "I like it." She paused. "Is someone going to take our order?"

 **. . .**

They spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the city, people watching and talking. It turned out that getting to know each other was going to be a lot easier than either of them had expected. When they stopped briefly to look at puppies in the window of a pet store, Regina casually took Emma's hand in her own. Touching Emma seemed natural and left Regina with a feeling that this was where she was supposed to be.

"So you live alone and you're clearly an animal lover, but you don't have any pets?" Emma asked as they continued down the sidewalk, their hands still lightly entwined. "Is there a homeowners' association policy against you having one?"

"No." Regina sighed. "I've just never been able to decide. I don't want to have to choose! Someone will have to do it for me when the time comes."

It was late when they finally reached the front steps of Regina's apartment, back where they had started. Both women were exhausted, but remained standing. When they came to a stop, Emma cupped Regina's cheek with her free hand, pulled her in and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Thank you for a good day." She whispered against her mouth.

Regina smiled. Suddenly her breathing was shallow and her heart was racing. The rough start to their day together was long forgotten. "Thank _you_ for a good day."

Emma pulled back to look into the other woman's eyes. "When can I see you again?"

"Whenever you want?" Regina's tone was hopeful.

"Ahhh…you're ridiculous!" Emma laughed softly. "You can't tell me that. I'll take advantage of it and you'll be sick of me."

"I can't imagine that will ever happen."

Regina smiled back and her gorgeous brown eyes seemed to sparkle. _There's that thing again. With her eyes. I know those eyes._

"When are you free again?" Regina asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"My schedule is flexible."

"What about tomorrow?" Regina smiled hopefully. "First thing in the morning?"

"How early?"

"As early as you can get here." Regina answered quickly. They stood facing each other and Regina took Emma's hands in her own.

"Deal."

Kissing her one last time, Emma stepped back, allowing Regina to take the steps up to the door, releasing her hand when they were too far apart to touch anymore. She watched as Regina disappeared inside, waiting to leave until the door was closed securely behind her.

 **. . .**

The following morning Emma stood on Regina's doorstep at six a.m., a bag in one hand and cup carrier in the other. She reached up and knocked on the door twice. Before she could drop her hand back down to her side, Emma could hear the clicking of the locks on the other side of the door. She smiled to herself, wondering if the other woman had been standing there waiting. When the door finally swung open, Regina smiled brightly despite the sleep that still lingered in her eyes. Emma took in the sight before her; Regina looking as though she'd barely ran her hands through her hair, completely free of make-up, wearing a simple vintage David Bowie t-shirt and a pair of baggy gym shorts. She was fascinated by the fact that unlike so many women, Regina hadn't gotten herself dressed and made up, just to try and impress her, regardless of what time it was. Emma had never seen a better sight.

"You're going to spoil me, answering the door that fast." Emma smiled, stepping into the doorway. Regina was still squinting against the early morning light. "Most women would play hard to get."

"I don't know what I'll do when the day comes that you're not warning me away from you. I'm just not sure what you want from me anymore." Regina sighed. Was this how every encounter between them was going to begin? Regina wasn't sure, but she liked it. Something about Emma's presence and gentle teasing comforted her.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Emma responded then quickly changed the subject. "Did I wake you?"

"No." Regina shook her head, ushering Emma into the hallway and locked the door behind her. When they reached the kitchen, Emma pulled out a chair from the dining room table and gestured for Regina to sit before pulling out a seat for herself. When she scooted the chair in, she moved a little closer than she probably should have and hoped that Regina wouldn't mind. "I didn't sleep so good last night. I've been trying to go back to sleep since three."

"Why didn't you text me? I could have come by later." She watched Regina closely.

"Then I would have missed breakfast." Regina smiled. "And you."

"I see where I stand." Emma pretended to be offended. "You don't even know what's in this bag."

Regina sniffed the air in front of her. "My nose is telling me you have cake donuts and two black coffees."

"Annnd your nose is right." Emma didn't miss a beat. She completely understood how someone could distinguish the smell of donuts and coffee, but found herself thoroughly confused by how Regina knew that the donuts were cake. Opening the bag, she pulled out a small stack of napkins and laid one out in front of Regina. Next, she pulled out two donuts placing one on the napkin and keeping the other for her. "I had no idea if you even like coffee or what kind, if you did. I just know I couldn't bring myself to order one of those that would require me to use made up words and call it non-fat. It's just too much."

"I'll take my coffee black any day." Regina reached over and snagged a cup from the carrier. "Don't get me wrong, I can order the others with the best of them, but I have to be in the mood for it. Mostly, I just want my coffee black."

"I'm not sure those other things should even be considered coffee." Emma sighed heavily and bit into her donut. "By the way, when you called me the other night, it came up as restricted. What am I going to do if I want to call you? Or text you?"

Regina smiled and held out her hand. Without a word, Emma reached into her pocket and handed over her phone. Within a few seconds Regina was returning it to her. She smiled. "Now you have my number."

"I'll admit I've gotten numbers faster. But I've also never had to ask." Emma flipped through her contacts and smiled when she found the entry Regina had entered then slid the phone back into her jacket.  
"Just be sure to use it." She gave Emma a stern look before biting off a large chunk of donut.

"Yes ma'am."

"So why are you up this early?" Regina asked through her mouthful of breakfast. She didn't seem like the type to talk with food in her mouth, but it was happening and Emma looked up to watch her chew. Regina was too cute for words and Emma wasn't quite sure what her fascination was with watching the other woman eat. She had never really paid attention to other women's eating habits. "Do you have to be at work?"

"Not really." She smiled, swallowing her own bite and wondering how to avoid a conversation about what she actually does for a living. At the last second, she made something up before Regina thought to ask. "It's a freelance investigation company. Cheating spouses, people who owe people money. I get to work on my own time and I pretty much just work out of my house."

"I see." Regina shoved the last bite of donut into her mouth and was reaching for seconds while Emma was only halfway through her first. "And where is your house?"

"Takoma Park. Familiar with it?" Emma took a sip of her coffee. She was willing to talk about anything besides her fake job. A fake job that could throw up a red flag just as fast as, _'_ _I work for the FBI!'_ She felt horrible for lying to the other woman and wanted to avoid it at all cost. Never mind the fact that just being in Regina's home was a lie. _How did I get here?_ Emma sighed mentally and continued to finish her breakfast.

"That's about forty-five minutes from here, isn't it?" Regina stared thoughtfully at the wall and then directed her attention back to Emma. "Is that why you brought me here the other night, because I live closer?"

Emma stopped mid-chew. It took her a moment to force the bite down as she considered what Regina was asking. Regina watched her carefully as she mulled over the answer in her head. How was she supposed to answer that?

"Yes." She finally spoke up. _That's not true._ Emma didn't want to lie needlessly. "Well. No. Actually, that's not why."

Regina waited patiently for her to finish, seemingly unfazed by the sudden change in her answer.

"I don't...take women home." Emma admitted. Wiping her mouth with a napkin, she straightened up her spot at the table. Wondering if she should say more or leave it at that, she glanced over at the woman sitting next to her. "I mean, I don't bring women into my home."

"Second dates?" Regina asked, taking the last bite of her second donut.

"Never."

Regina nodded, understanding what she was saying and also understanding the implications of Emma sitting at her table this very moment. Not only had she taken Regina home, she had refused to take her to bed not once but twice and now they were having breakfast together. Regina wondered to herself if Emma wasn't attracted to her, or if she _was_ attracted to her and that was the issue.

"Yet it's 6:30 on a Monday morning and here you sit in my living room." Regina raised her eyebrows as though it was a scandalous thought and laughed. "Whatever will your friends say?"

"It's a good thing I don't have any." Emma smiled in return. It was an honest statement. She'd had friends throughout the years, but had ultimately found that Neal was the only one she could truly trust with her life. The room fell silent for a moment as they both continued to drink their coffee. Emma's comment left her curious, but Regina didn't press any further. Not yet anyway. Emma gathered up the remnants of their breakfast and shoved it into the bag she'd carried in. Standing, she walked the trash to the garbage can she'd previously spotted in the kitchen. It was out of habit that she always seemed to retain images and information, as simple as the location of a trash can, in her head. Coming back around the corner, she joined Regina who was moving to sit on the more comfortable couch. "Do you have plans today?"

"There's a painting I've been working on, but other than that, nope." Regina pulled her legs up and underneath her and slipped the blanket over her lap from the back of the couch. Emma sat close enough to rest an arm on the other woman's leg and when she did, Regina grabbed her hand and pulled it under the blanket tucking it safely against bare skin. Emma's heart skipped as her hand came into contact with Regina's leg. "Did you have something in mind?"

 _What is she asking?_ Emma wondered to herself. It wasn't even seven in the morning and already Regina was teasing her. Or maybe she wasn't. Maybe Regina was simply trying to be close to her. Maybe it was Emma who was reading more into it than what was really there. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat. "I'm sorry, what?"

Regina smiled. She knew that Emma had gotten lost in thought and couldn't help but wonder if she'd lost her simply because they were sitting so close or if it had happened when she'd pulled Emma's hand under the blanket. Regina was starting to enjoy the affect she seemed to have on Emma. "Can I kiss you?"

Emma's mouth went dry and her heart began to race. Something about this woman consistently threw her off guard. Emma felt her face flush and she was suddenly burning up. She'd never been asked before. Usually women threw themselves at her without an invitation. She had to remind herself over and over that everything with Regina was different. Composing herself she finally answered. "Yes."

Regina wasted no time closing the distance between them. Reaching out, she rested her hand firmly against Emma's chest and gathered her shirt loosely. Understanding the intention, Emma leaned in and met her halfway, seizing the other woman's mouth with her own. Regina's lips were warm and wet. And she tasted of coffee. Regina brushed Emma's lips with her tongue and pulled away each time Emma attempted to take control, teasing her relentlessly. Regina moved, rising up to straddle one of Emma's legs. When she leaned in resting her body against the other woman, Regina suddenly froze. Emma knew immediately that something was wrong.

"What's the matter?" The concern was apparent in her voice.

Regina smiled and crinkled her nose slightly as she raised herself up. She whispered against Emma's mouth. "I think your phone is vibrating."

After a brief second of confusion, Emma smiled, trying not to laugh. Reaching down to her side, she fished the cellphone from her pocket. Regina had positioned herself directly on the vibrating phone. "I am so sorry!" Emma laughed. "I can never feel it when it's in my pocket."

"I did." Regina smiled and raised an eyebrow.

Emma bit her lip and looked at the phone. Neal was calling. He was probably wondering why she hadn't made it into the office yet. There was no way she was going to have a conversation with Regina sitting in her lap. She would have to call him back. Both women were waiting patiently, Regina for Emma to do something and Emma for Neal to hang up or let the call go to voicemail. Knowing him he would probably leave a voicemail then call back all before finally just sending a text message like most normal people would do now. The call stopped. Emma shoved the phone back into her pocket.

"You didn't need to get that?" Regina asked, still smiling. "Though I'm kind of hopeful they call back after I get back to where I left off!"

It took Emma a second to comprehend what she was suggesting and when it sank in, she laughed.

"I'm sure he'll call back." She said. "And then he'll send a message. And then who knows what else."

"Do you need to go?" Regina asked cautiously, hoping the answer would be no.

"It was work." Emma answered. "But it can wait a few minutes."

Regina sighed. Just when she thought they might get somewhere, something had to interrupt. Maybe this thing between them wasn't supposed to happen. Or maybe she was just going to have to wait. Didn't her mother always used to tell her that good things would come to her if only she could just wait? _She did._ Regina relaxed, comfortably straddling Emma's left thigh. Running a hand through her hair, she ruffled her dark shoulder length tresses.

"If you're going to leave me," She paused. "Is there any chance I might talk you into taking me upstairs and...Maybe sitting with me until I go back to sleep?"

It was a surprising request, but could Emma refuse? _Of course not._ "Do you think you can behave?"

Regina tapped a finger on her chin as if she were thinking about the answer. "I suppose that depends on whether or not I'm going to receive a rain check."

"Definitely, gorgeous." Emma's lips curled into a smile as she pulled her in for another kiss.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

"Tell me something about yourself that I don't know yet." Emma said as she watched Regina sipping her coffee. It was Friday morning, the third of August. It had been two weeks since the night Emma had driven Regina home from the bar. The few times Emma had stopped by had been spent with idle chatting and the occasional comfortable silence. Mostly, they were getting to know each other, which they were finding to be quite easy.

"I like to read." Regina lifted an eyebrow at the other woman as she pinched off a piece of her donut and slowly placed it in her mouth.

Emma pinned her with a curious look then glanced at the large bookshelf against the brick wall. It was filled with books from top to bottom. "No kidding? I would have never guessed that."

"So, Ms. Swan. Tell me something about yourself that I don't know yet." Regina smiled, unable to pretend to be serious.

"I enjoy visiting the museums and art galleries here in DC. My parents used to take me when I was little." She shared. "Before they got so busy that they forgot they had a kid."

Regina's eyes dropped and she sucked her bottom lip in, chewing on it thoughtfully. Although she had been unsure of what to expect, Regina had been caught off guard by Emma's simple admission. Sitting her coffee cup on the table, she reached over and placed her hand on the other woman's arm. "What do they do?"

"Believe it or not, my father is the lead neurosurgeon at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. And my mother is the Director of the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, also in Baltimore." Emma rattled off the information as if they could have been servers in a restaurant.

"Wow." Regina was slightly stunned. "That's not intimidating at all."

"Oh yeah. They're all about saving the world. Like they're fairytale heroes or something. Sometimes I'm still not sure how they found the time to have me." Emma continued. "But they did. And for the first few years, they made time for me. They took me to museums and art galleries and occasionally to some of their social functions. But only if it was a place where kids were welcome. Eventually they hired a nanny and that was that."

"Hmm," Regina went back to nibbling on her lip. Her breakfast forgotten for the time being. "I've always wondered how people can just let their kids be raised by a stranger."

"Eventually...the nanny isn't a stranger." Emma shook her head and took a sip from her cup, talking about the situation as if it were no big deal. "Eventually, the nanny is your best friend and your parents are giving you whatever you want to make up for their not being there. You get used to it. It becomes normal."

"Do you still talk to them?" Regina was concerned. Growing up without parents made her see things from a completely different perspective. From the outside, it was harder for her to understand why someone would let their child grow up without being there for them every step of the way. "Or see them?"

"Occasionally my mother will ask me to come visit, if one or both of them have time and want to know what I've been up to. That rarely ever happens." Emma gave a half smile at that. "We do have a family dinner once a year though, and it's not an option to miss it."

"Oh really. And why the one dinner?" Regina was intrigued.

"Thanksgiving." Emma laughed.

"Wow." Regina laughed with her.

"My turn." Emma was quick to change the subject. "Tell me something else."

"While I _have_ dated, I have only had exactly two boyfriends in my entire life." Regina pushed her chair back and stood, taking Emma's hand. Giving her a gentle tug, Regina moved to the couch with Emma in tow. It was only going on seven in the morning. But she knew Emma would have to leave soon and wanted to be closer to her than the dining table would allow. When they reached the couch, Emma sank into the cushions and stretched out, pulling Regina down next to her. Regina snuggled into Emma's body and continued talking. "I met the first one my senior year of high school, but my cousins managed to run him off about a year after we graduated. The second, Graham, managed to stick around for about four years before he decided to come out of the closet."

"Four years?" Emma repeated in disbelief then laughed. "Late bloomer?"

"I never saw it coming." Regina shook her head sadly, laughing right along with Emma. "I really should have realized it when he _wasn't_ trying to have sex with me all the time. We were basically roommates who shared a bed."

"So you've been single for how long?" Emma raised an eyebrow curiously, though Regina couldn't see her face. With only two boyfriends it made Emma realize that Regina must either be fiercely loyal, or extremely picky about the people she kept in her life. But thinking about it, she wondered if maybe both of those attributes applied.

Regina was counting on her fingers and mouthing something to herself before she came up with an answer. "Six years."

"I don't like to be alone." Emma admitted. "Six years is ridiculous. I can't imagine that in all that time you haven't found _some_ one worthy of you. And how are you not incredibly sexually frustrated?"

Regina raised up then and turned over so that she could see Emma's face. She was practically on top of her once again. Regina shook her head. "Ask yourself a question this time. What happened the night we met?"

Emma thought on the question for a moment and put two-and-two together. "So you're saying you were desperate when you danced with me?"

Regina smacked her playfully, causing Emma to smile. "No. Not in the least. I knew exactly what I wanted, but unfortunately I had to drink to get my courage up and by the time you got me home, I'd had too much. I may or may not have been hoping you'd take advantage of me!"

Emma, though amused, got serious for a moment and made eye contact with the other woman. "You deserve better than that."

"I didn't bet on you being so chivalrous." Regina leaned in and kissed her sweetly. When she pulled away she added, "And that turned me on even more. Then you left me hanging. But that's okay...I took care of it myself."

Emma's mouth fell open at Regina's blatant admission of her actions. Regina shrugged. "How else do you think I survived six years alone!?"

"And it's time for me to get to work." Emma laughed, still pinned beneath her. "Before you start something we don't have time to finish."

Emma knew it was obvious that she was always running away when topic came up, but she wasn't ready to go there with Regina yet.

"Don't you mean before I start something you _won't_ finish?" Regina challenged, squirming subtly in attempt to tease the blonde. It was working and they both knew it, but Emma refused to give in. Eventually the moment would present itself. Then and only then would Emma take things further.

"Do I need to explain myself?"

"Yes." Regina smiled, suddenly looking forward to hearing Emma wax poetic about how she was special and deserved to be treated with respect. It was all very sweet, the way Emma refused to just take her to bed, but that didn't mean that Regina understood. Too many nights, she'd watched Emma leave the bar with one stranger or another. So why did it suddenly matter? What had changed?

Emma sighed heavily and bracing the brunette in her arms, she sat up leaving Regina straddling her lap and their faces mere inches apart. Regina draped her arms around Emma's neck, playing with her long wavy locks while she waited for Emma's response.

"Regina, I know that you thought- hell, _I_ thought I was just going to bring you home and use you and move on with my life." She shook her head, slightly embarrassed by her past actions, but maintained eye contact none the less. "And I know that it sounds absurd or ridiculous or whatever you want to call it, but the minute we touched there was this- this thing. I don't know. I felt something happen. And I don't know if you felt it too, but between dancing with you and driving you home- I just, I know that it's only been two weeks, but I knew _then_ that you weren't like anyone else."

Regina nodded silently, taking in everything that she was saying. She understood completely because she'd felt it all too. For some otherworldly reason they'd been drawn to each other, so who was she to question the universe?

"Something is happening. I don't know what it is or why, but I'm not going to question it and I sure as hell don't want to take it for granted." Emma continued. "I don't want to mess this up. And I most certainly _don't_ want to rush it. You deserve flowers and dinner and all of that other romantic stuff. It's going to happen. And it's going to be...amazing. Just- not yet."

Regina sighed and smiled sweetly at the woman whose lap she was currently occupying. "That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me."

"I feel a 'but' coming on." Emma put a hand up between them. " _So,_ I'm going to stop you. My mind will not be changed."

Regina cocked her head slightly, watching the other woman with curious eyes. She couldn't figure Emma out. She wanted to, but Regina knew that it would happen in due time. Learning all of Emma's secrets, finding out what made her tick and everything else she wanted from her. But clearly, Emma Swan was not one to be rushed. For now all Regina knew was that whenever this woman was in her presence, her world felt right. Complete. When they were apart, there were pieces of her missing and it just didn't feel okay. So it seemed to Regina that having patience was the only option she had.

 **. . .**

"Em." Neal smiled when he looked up to find his partner standing over him. He tossed his pen onto the desk and leaned back as Emma sat down in the only other chair in his cubicle. "What'd you do this weekend? I haven't seen you since Friday."

"The usual. Drove some. Slept some." She shrugged and found that she was only mildly concerned with how easily she had just lied to her best friend.

"You could've at least returned my call, Swan." Neal pinned her with a look that said he was slightly annoyed with her. "Or dropped me a text. Damn."

"I know. I just had a lot on my mind." Emma looked away, suddenly feeling bad for ignoring him in lieu of spending time with Regina. For the first time, Emma wasn't sure that Neal would understand. How could he? Emma knew that if Neal had come to her and said 'Hey, I'm in love with a suspect!' she'd think he was crazy. Hell, at the moment Emma found herself wondering if _she_ was crazy.

"Something's different." Neal said breaking the silence between them. "I don't know what it is, but it's something."

"Your job is making you paranoid." Emma shook her head and stood to leave. "Nothing is different. I just fell off the grid for a couple days. I needed to be alone."

Neal took a deep breath and released it slowly. He didn't want to push. "Let's go eat one night this week."

"Sounds good to me." She smiled. It was hard not being completely honest with him. Neal had been her best friend for almost her entire life. Not being able to talk to him about what was going on in her life was twice as hard. "You pick the place and it's on me."

 **. . .**

The next few days, Emma found herself getting home later and later. The time she was spending with Regina continued to fly by with ease. As promised, Emma had met her partner for dinner at a small place they were both familiar with between their respective homes. Neal didn't ask questions which Emma was extremely thankful for. As much as she hated the secrecy, the idea of telling him everything was just as unfavorable. Much to her surprise he spent their entire evening making small talk and bouncing ideas off of her about other cases. She missed spending time with her best friend.

Once they'd parted ways, Emma found herself headed to Regina's place once again. For the life of her she just couldn't stay away. When she reached the other woman's house, Emma pulled up to the curb and flipped the switch to kill the engine on her ride. Slipping her helmet off of her head, she sat it gently on the tank with one hand while she fished her phone from her jacket pocket with the other and began to type out a message.

 _"_ _If I gave you three guesses, could you figure out where I am?"_ She hit send and waited.

 **. . .**

Regina was sitting on her bed with her laptop in front of her when she heard her phone singing a telltale song to let her know she was receiving a message. Pushing the computer out of the way, she reached for her nightstand where the phone lay charging. Unplugging the device, she listened to the song play for a moment, knowing exactly who the message was from. When she read the message she smiled to herself. Regina stood from the bed and made her way to the front window, careful not to move the curtains too much as she peaked out into the night. Her smile widened. Just as she suspected, Emma was parked across the street, perched on her motorcycle.

 _"_ _I only need one."_ She hit send and watched through the window while the other woman received the message. A second later her phone was singing again.

 _"_ _What if you're not right?"_

Regina laughed out loud in the empty room. She decided to play. _"_ _Then you will most definitely be in trouble."_

Outside, Emma smiled to herself as she read the message. Regina was quite the handful. Aside from so many other things. Quick-witted was on the top of the list as well and Emma found that she couldn't wait to see where the other woman was taking their conversation. She responded. _"_ _Amazing. Only *I* could get into trouble for another persons incorrect answer."_

Regina headed down the stairs toward the front door as she typed the last message she intended to send. It had been a little more than a day since she'd seen Emma's face and though she knew that it was bordering on ridiculous how much she missed the other woman, Regina couldn't help herself. _"_ _You have 3 seconds to get your sexy self off that motorcycle and to my front door."_

When she hit send, Regina paused at the front door to run her hand through her hair. Reaching for the doorknob, she swung the door open, fully prepared to give Emma a hard time for not making it to the door first. Instead, she was greeted by the woman leaning comfortably against the frame of the door as if she'd been kept waiting.

Emma raised an eyebrow and smiled. "I win."

"Do you know what time it is, Ms. Swan?" Regina promptly crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot not appreciating being beaten to the punch. Before Emma could answer, Regina continued. "What if I tell you that I don't accept late callers?"

"Then I guess it's a good thing I didn't call!" Emma gave the other woman her sexiest smile and stepped into the hallway. Nudging the door closed with her foot, Emma pushed Regina back against the wall. "I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep if I didn't see you for a minute tonight."

Regina inched closer and closer to the woman in front her. "And if you don't kiss me...I might make you leave."

Without a second thought, Emma's lips were pressed against Regina's who wasted no time parting them so that their tongues were sliding over each other in a warm and wet tangled mess. Regina loved the way Emma kissed her senseless every time. She'd never been kissed with so much purpose before. Emma felt her heart rate rising as things between them heated up. Regina caught Emma's bottom lip between her teeth as she was slowly pulling away, giving it one last nibble before they parted.

"Mmm. If you keep that up, I might not let you leave."

"Stay, leave. You can't seem to make up your mind." Emma smiled against Regina's lips before kissing her gently. "Maybe I can help you with that."

Regina attacked Emma's lips once again, pulling her down the hall as she ravished the taller woman's mouth. Emma found her hands creeping under Regina's shirt as she was being led to the couch and though she wanted to put a stop to it before things went too far, there was a part of her that just didn't care tonight. Emma tangled her hands into Regina's dark locks and pulled her closer. The feel of Regina's tongue against her own was driving her insane and threatened to take over her senses. She wanted to feel this woman's mouth on every square inch of her body.

But before either one realized it, they had reached Regina's intended destination and when the back of her legs hit the couch, Regina stumbled taking Emma down with her. "Oh damn!" Emma cursed as she wrapped her arms quickly around the other woman to protect her. As soon as they landed, both women erupted into laughter.

"I stopped by to kiss you good night." Emma told Regina once their breathing had settled.

"Mission accomplished!" Regina responded and they both began laughing again, not moving from the spot where they'd crashed. "I guess that was karma…"

Emma rose up enough to look at the woman tangled in her arms. She raised a curious eyebrow. "Karma? For what, exactly?"

Regina had the decency to look guilty. Guilty of what, Emma was unsure. "Well… Once I realized you were here, I may or may not have secretly considered tying you up and holding you against your will."

Emma laughed at the admission. "Yes. That is definitely a crime punishable by a spill over a sofa arm. But that doesn't explain why I went down with the ship!"

Regina smacked Emma's arm playfully and buried her face in the other woman's neck. She took a moment to compose herself. Laughter or not, Regina was frustrated. She wanted Emma so bad she could taste it. And the longer Emma made her wait, the more her frustration grew. Untangling herself from Emma's arms, Regina situated herself so that the two of them would be more comfortable. Noticing the silence, Emma decided to fill the void.

"So what have you been doing since I saw you last?"

"A friend of mine stopped by today. She wants to get together sometime this week with a couple of our other friends." She shrugged. "For some reason she seems to think that I don't get out much lately."

Emma smiled. She knew that wasn't true. However, she also knew that Regina had been spending a great deal of time with her which meant that she, Emma, was occupying most of Regina's waking hours which in turn was keeping Regina from spending time with her other friends. "You should go."

"I'm going to." Regina sighed as if she wasn't completely sure of the decision.

Emma moved to sit up and Regina knew immediately that it meant she was about to depart. Regina hated it when Emma left. Every time the moment came, she felt sick and lately the feeling was getting worse. She'd never felt this way before and couldn't decide yet if it was a good thing. Emma leaned in as Regina sat up and kissed her gently on the lips.

"I'm glad I came by." She whispered against Regina's lips. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you." Regina took Emma's face between her hands and gave her a kiss that she knew Emma would not soon forget. If Emma was going to leave, Regina was going to give her a reason to come back. When she pulled back, Regina watched as Emma attempted to swallow a lump in her throat. "Be safe going home."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I think by now it's safe to say that while I've done enough research, I honestly don't know jack about the government or the FBI. I'm mostly just focused on Regina and Emma! If anyone has any insight they'd like to share, I am always open to new information!**

 **CHAPTER 7**

Emma's phone vibrated as she was climbing onto her motorcycle. She hadn't been to work in a couple days. In her opinion, going to the office was always pointless. Emma didn't feel it necessary to have a desk to do her job and contacting her boss from her phone had proven over time, to be much easier than dealing with him face to face. At the moment she was currently on her way home from meeting with an informant he'd sent her to speak to. Normally Emma was with Neal when she did these things, but as it happened, she had been out and about when her supervisor had contacted her and asked her to meet the guy for another case. Pulling the phone from her pocket, she hit the slide to unlock it. A text message from Regina was waiting for her.

" _Where are you?"_

Emma could hear Regina's voice as she read the message and smiled to herself. A few weeks had passed and they had been seeing each other frequently since the first morning Emma had brought her donuts and coffee. She had stopped by on her way home and occasionally in the mornings to bring Regina breakfast or just to steal a kiss on her way to work. Though, she tried to refrain from stopping by too often first thing, so that she wasn't waking Regina up before the crack of dawn all the time. When they weren't together, they were sending each other messages on the phone. Every moment they spent together, every conversation was an opportunity to learn more about each other.

More than once, things had heated up a little more than Emma was ready to handle and she always managed to bring those situations to a grinding halt, much to the other woman's dismay. And more than once Regina had literally begged Emma to stay the night. It was killing her, but she refused to give in. Since the night she'd taken Regina home from the bar where they'd met, Emma hadn't given her attention to any another woman. No one else seemed to exist anymore and taking home a stranger was no longer an option in Emma's eyes. Emma felt bound to Regina, but she had no idea how to explain why she kept putting a stop to the intimate situations.

Emma touched the button to reply. _"_ _Where do you want me?"_ she typed. Pausing for a moment, she read the message again. Should she send it? Should she say something else? Emma knew the message would start a vicious cycle of flirting and sexual innuendo that would ultimately end in her changing the subject albeit not so subtly. She enjoyed flirting with Regina. Enjoyed teasing and being teased. The fact remained that Emma wanted Regina and Regina wanted Emma. So why was Emma making her wait? Emma told herself that it was simply because she needed to make sure that she was what Regina wanted. But that was only a small part of why she continued to hold back.

"What the hell." Emma mumbled to herself. She hit send. "What can it hurt?"

Instead of taking off, she waited for a moment to see if Regina would reply. A second later the phone vibrated.

 _"_ _Is that a trick question?"_

 _"_ _I thought yours was."_ Emma typed quickly. _"_ _Considering you have a prior engagement tonight?"_

 _"_ _I was hoping you had forgotten about that and were going to tell me you were on your way to sweep me off my feet. ;)"_

Emma smiled at the last message. Anyone looking might have wondered why she was staring at her phone with a goofy grin on her face, but she didn't mind. She replied, _"_ _You should go out with your friends. You're the one who said you hadn't seen them in a while. You can see me any time you like. And besides, we have plans tomorrow night."_

 _"_ _That's tomorrow. I'll miss you terribly until tomorrow night gets here."_

 _"_ _And you can text me any time you like, babe. It will be here before you know it."_

 _"_ _I could get used to hearing you call me that. I like it."_

Emma wanted to see Regina, but she resisted the urge to give in. Slow. She needed to go slow. _Why? You know why._ She sighed to herself. Sometimes her inner monologue got old. _"_ _I'm heading home. I'll be around if you need me. ;) Enjoy your evening, gorgeous. Can't wait to see you tomorrow."_

She slipped the phone back into her pocket and turned the key on the motorcycle. Home was only 30 miles away, but some days the drive could take an hour. It didn't matter that it was Thursday. It didn't matter what day of the week it was for that matter, the Capitol traffic was always heavy and dealing with her boss's informant had been mentally taxing. For once, Emma was just ready to get home and relax.

 **. . .**

The following morning, heading out the front door, Emma grabbed her jacket from the banister and locked the door behind her as she was pulling it shut. She gave the knob a jiggle, just to double check and turned to head down the front steps. She looked up to see Neal getting out of his truck by the curb in front of her house.

"Swan." He yelled, throwing his hands up. "Where have you been?"

Emma glanced at the watch on her arm and looked back up as she headed towards the road. Neal walked around the front of the truck and leaned against the passenger side as she approached him.

"What do you mean? I just saw you yesterday." Emma looked at him, clearly confused.

"What's going on with you? Ragan's not happy, Em. You haven't been to work in three days. No one's heard from you. _I_ haven't heard from you." Neal raised his eyebrows, waiting for a response. "I didn't just see you yesterday. I haven't seen you since Tuesday."

"What day is it?" Emma asked.

She sounded serious, but Neal was unsure. "You're kidding me right?"

"Yes. I'm kidding." She deadpanned. "I know what day it is. It's Friday. I've been busy."

"Busy." Neal repeated, mostly to his self. "You've been busy? Busy doing _what,_ Em?"

Neal was bugged and his best friend could tell. He hadn't seen or spoken to Emma in three days and it just wasn't like her. Even before, after everything that happened to her, she had still never gone a day without contacting Neal in some way. Something was up and he was catching on.

"It's nothing. Just work stuff."

"Since when do you do ' _work stuff_ ' without your partner?" He questioned. "Were you headed somewhere?"

"I've just been going over the files Neal. Really." She tried to sound reassuring, but he knew her better than that. Seeing the look of uncertainty on his face, she added, "We haven't been able to catch a break in months. Things just aren't adding up. And yes I was leaving."

"So fill me in. Isn't that what being a partner is about?" Neal shoved his hands in his pockets and looked around. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of line his best friend was about to feed him. He was beginning to feel like he was being lied to and didn't like it at all. But the rational portion of his brain insisted that if Emma was lying, it must be for a good reason.

Emma took a deep breath and stepped toward him. "Just let me check into some things and I promise I'll fill you in. You trust me, don't you?"

"Yeah, Em. You know I do." He sighed. "I'm just worried about you. That's all."

"There's nothing to worry about. I swear." She patted him on the arm. "I've never been better, Neal."

"You've been distant lately, okay?" Neal decided to confess his thoughts. "You're never available and I'm having a hard time with it. You're my best friend and I can't help but feel like something isn't right. You know I trust you. I just want to be there for you."

Emma smiled to herself. She knew Neal was right. But she wasn't quite ready to tell him everything. She had been spending all of her free time with Regina, so why wouldn't she expect him to catch on. Emma knew that her best friend was smarter than that. She would have to tell him soon.

"So what are you getting us into, today?" Neal asked. "You want me to come with?"

Emma considered her options. Her plans with Regina weren't until later in the evening. And humoring Neal with a little stake-out might not be such a bad idea. It would give her the opportunity to do a little snooping and ease Neal's irritation with her at the same time. And as much as she loved her motorcycle, it was nice to not have to drive sometimes.

"Sure." Emma nodded. "But you're driving."

"Fine with me." Neal pushed away from the truck where he was previously propped. "It's after ten, have you eaten yet?"

They both opened their doors and climbed into the truck.

"Of course I've eaten." Emma laughed to herself as Neal pulled away from the curb. "But I'm always hungry."

He stopped at the nearest fast food place so they could grab a bite to eat and once they were on the road again he spoke up. "So what's on the agenda?"

"I was thinking we could cruise by the Mills Cafe and see if anything was going on."

"Sounds good…" Neal nodded and made a turn to head towards the small restaurant.

 **. . .**

One block from the restaurant, Neal parallel parked in the closest spot he could find. He left the truck running and they settled in, not knowing exactly what they were waiting for or how long they might be there.

"What are we lookin' for Em?" Neal asked, grabbing his cup. He took a long drink and glanced in her direction.

"I don't know." She mumbled. "Something. Anything."

"So…you just want to wait around and see if anything happens?"

"I don't know what I'm looking for. I just need something." Emma took a deep breath. "Something to go on."

Neal stared blankly at her for a moment. He shook it off with a sigh and went back to watching the front of Luis Mills's restaurant. Business looked slow. Only a couple of vehicles along the street. In the past, most of the evidence they'd gathered had been during busy hours. Lunch rushes. Weekends, during heavy dinner flows when 'customers' and 'business partners' could come and go without appearing out of place or suspicious. Neal wanted to believe that his partner knew what she was doing. But after everything she'd been through, he was beginning to worry that Emma was losing her touch. He was starting to wonder if she was ever going to recover.

Just as Neal's mind had begun to wonder, something caught his attention. He sat up straight and nudged his best friends arm.

"I think we've got something." He said.

They watched as a black BMW pulled to the curb in front of the restaurant. After a moment, they saw the passenger window come down. No one was getting out. A second later, the front door of the restaurant opened and a petite brunette walked out and approached the car with a long, thick, white cylinder in hand. Neal glanced over at his partner, noticing the strange look on her face.

"Isn't that the Mills woman you took home that one night?" he asked.

"Yeah. It is." Emma took a deep breath.

"So they're just passing off goods in the middle of the street now?" He asked, reaching for the gear shift. "Maybe we should pick 'em both up and see what's going on. The family knows the FBI has been watching them."

Emma reached for Neal's hand, stopping him. "Wait." She said. "We have plenty of photographs of transactions just like this one. Why haven't they picked anyone up before?"

"I don't know, Em. Does it matter?" He was confused. "The boss wants progress… let's give him progress."

"Just wait, Neal." She snapped at him, immediately regretting it. "Sorry. This is what I came for. Let's just wait. I think I'm coming up with a plan."

"A plan?"

"Yeah. Just take me home. Let me get some things together and I'll drop by the office in a little while." She spoke in an even tone.

"Swear to me you'll show your face and I'll drop the whole subject." Neal assured her and she knew he meant it.

"I swear." Emma held up her hand dramatically and crossed her heart.

 **. . .**

As promised, Emma showed up at the office several hours later. She took a direct path to Neal's cubicle and stuck her head around the corner, causing him to jump.

"All work and no play, makes Neal a dull boy." She said in a taunting voice.

He smiled. "You know it. Dull as hell."

"Hey, so, would you mind if I borrow all the files on the Mills family members?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah sure." He replied, opening the top drawer of the file cabinet closest to his leg. "I thought you had a copy of all of these."

"I do." She smiled. "I just want to compare and make sure I have everything. I'm not sure I have the file on the Mills woman's parents."

Neal passed the thick stack of folders and paperwork off to his partner. He knew she was up to something, but it seemed as though she was getting back into her job. It left him with mixed emotions. His best friend had never been so secretive before.

 _Things have changed, Neal._ He thought to himself. _Just because she's getting back into her job doesn't mean she's going to do things like she used to. True. But that doesn't mean I have to like it._

"Are you back?" Emma asked, staring blankly at her partner. She'd lost him after he handed the files to her and wasn't sure where he'd went. "I mean…that looked like a good trip, but-"

"Yeah," he shook his head. "I'm good. Sorry. Just thinking."

"I'm gonna take off."

"Swan!" He threw his head back. "You said-"

"I said I'd show my face. I showed my face." She threw up her free hand as she walked away. "I'll call you!"

"Right." He mumbled, shaking it off. He knew he had to give her time. But how long was long enough?

 **. . .**

Emma crammed the files into a slim back pack she used to carry things when she was on her bike. Instead of wearing it like she should, she strapped the bag onto the passenger seat, under a cargo net meant to hold things tightly to the bike. It was going on four in the afternoon and she was supposed to be meeting Regina at six for dinner. Climbing onto the bike, she took off, heading straight for home.

She knew she would have to shower and change quickly if she was going to make it on time. Emma didn't like to be rushed and going into the office had really put a cramp in her plan. Of course, seeing Regina walking out of Mills Cafe with a mysterious cylinder in her hand hadn't helped the situation either. It left her wondering if she should call and cancel their plans for the evening. More importantly it left her wondering if she had finally lost her mind.

No. She hadn't lost her mind. Emma knew that for a fact. She'd spent three years feeling that way. But she didn't anymore.

 **. . .**

Showered and changed, Emma stopped just short of the front door. She was doing a last minute check in front of the mirror and decided to make a change. Reaching for the hook under the mirror, she grabbed a set of keys that she rarely used anymore. Back-tracking through the house, she went through the kitchen to a door that led to the garage. She paused as the door closed behind her, staring down the car that sat in front of her. Emma took a deep breath and walked slowly around the vehicle giving it a once over. She ran her hand from the front drivers' side headlight, up the hood and over the mirror, stopping on the door handle.

Another deep breath.

After Amanda left, Emma had traded her car in for something sporty. She didn't want to be reminded of Amanda every time she looked at the little yellow VW Bug. The car had belonged to Emma and after they moved in together, Emma had handed the keys over to her girlfriend who preferred the sensible little car over the motorcycle Emma had insisted on buying. Everything Amanda ever did was 'sensible'. Until the day she'd decided to leave Emma. But Emma wasn't sure why she didn't drive the trade-in more. A pearl white 370z with more horsepower and extra's than one person really needed. The car was a dream. There was usually something about the motorcycle that called to her more, but tonight…tonight she was going to take the car. It had been a while. After all, it really did need a spin around the block. She opened the door and slid down into the black leather seat and enjoyed the moment. Every time driving this car was like the first time. It wrapped around her like a favorite pair of jeans, only better.

Deep breath.

Emma glanced down at her cell which she had placed in the cup holder and realized she should be going. She pushed the button on the dash and smiled as the engine rumbled to life and settled into a quiet hum.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

Forty-five minutes later she was knocking on Regina's door. As usual the door flew open and she was greeted with a smile. Followed by a hug. And a much needed kiss.

Emma pulled back to look at the other woman, offering her a warm smile.

"I missed you." Regina said, pulling her down for another kiss before dragging Emma down the hall. "Get inside!"

"I missed _you_." Emma said, kissing Regina once more. "So what do you have planned for us tonight?"

"Well," Regina stepped away and headed towards the kitchen. Emma took off her coat and threw it over the arm of the couch and followed her to the kitchen. "I was thinking…"

"Dangerous." Emma teased.

"I know!" Regina smiled.

"What do I smell?" Emma sniffed the air around her, eyeballing the kitchen area. "Are you...cooking?"

"Like I said, I was thinking," she continued. "About cooking for you tonight. Instead of going out? So I thought we would start off with a salad," she opened the refrigerator to reveal a bowl of salad already mixed and ready to go. "Followed by a very simple chicken pilaf, which is still cooking, accompanied with a delicious red wine and a _surprise_ for dessert."

"Mmm... That sounds delicious. I'm starving already." Emma rubbed her stomach for emphasis. "You went all out. What's the occasion?"

Regina smiled brightly as she walked around the counter to meet Emma on the other side. Grabbing her hand, she pulled Emma towards the living room and down onto the couch next to her. They sat closely, always touching in some way.

"Does there have to be an occasion?" Regina asked. "I thought I would show off some of my other skills."

"So you've been keeping secrets?" Emma teased.

"Maybe..."

"Is there anything else I need to know about you?"

"Of course. But all in due time…" she sighed. "So. Tell me about your day? Has it been good so far?"

Emma wondered if Regina was trying to change the subject, but she didn't want to obsess over it. She didn't know for sure where things between them were headed and she definitely didn't want to taint the results with needless worries.

"I've had a pretty good day." Emma turned slightly so that she could face Regina. She liked to look at people when she talked to them. It was easier to tell what a person was thinking when she was able to watch their body language. "I had lunch with a friend and went into work for a little while. Then I took some work home with me and then…I got ready and came over here. What about you?"

" _I_ had an early lunch with my uncle, for starters. And while I was there, I met up with someone who bought one of my paintings. Then I went to the market for all the ingredients I needed to make this, hopefully delicious, meal." She took a deep breath. "And then I came home."

 _Did she just say she sold a painting?_ "You sold a painting today?" Emma questioned.

"Yes." She smiled, seemingly proud of herself. "Another one. But to the same guy of course. I don't know why he likes my work so much. It's kind of weird, really. But whatever. It's money."

 _Maybe because it gives him an excuse to show up for other business transactions?_ Emma thought to herself. It was a shame to see her work going someplace where it probably wasn't being fully appreciated. She wondered if the artwork ever saw the light of day once she handed it over to them. Maybe. But unfortunately she would probably never know.

 **. . .**

Emma sighed heavily, pushing her plate towards the middle of the table. She watched as Regina gently dabbed at her mouth with a napkin, both of their plates empty. Dinner had been more than good and Emma was stuffed. If only she hadn't eaten two helpings of salad.

"Dinner was fabulous, Regina. Thank you."

"I'm glad you liked it." She smiled.

"Have you ever thought about trying to have your own show?" Emma asked, changing the subject. Her mind still focused on Regina's paintings. "I'm certain there are plenty of galleries that would be more than happy to fight over you."

"I don't know." Regina looked down at her empty plate. She was still clueless as to just how good her work really was. "I've never even considered it. I don't exactly show it to people."

"Then how are you selling it?"

"My uncle. He's always going on to people, telling them about me and how great he thinks I am. When I started sending him pictures on his cell phone, he started shopping it around for me behind my back." Regina laughed. "I thought he just wanted to see what I was doing."

"Maybe you should consider trying to get a showing." Emma suggested. "You have no idea how good you are. And…I know some people. I could give you names if you decide to look into it."

"Thank you." She blushed. "That means a lot…"

They were both quiet for several minutes, letting their food settle and thinking about their conversation. Emma knew that something more had been going on and now she had her proof. Proof that may not be good enough to use as evidence, but something she had witnessed with her own eyes and heard with her own ears. Regina was clean, just like she'd thought all along.

"Didn't you mention something about dessert?"

"I knew you wouldn't forget!" Regina poked at her playfully. "Let me clean all this up and we'll move on to round three."

Regina headed to the kitchen with an armful of things from the table. Emma was right behind her, hands full as well. When Regina turned back to grab another armful, she was surprised to see her standing there.

"You didn't think I was going to just sit and watch you clean up after you did all the cooking, did you?"

"You don't have to help." She shook her head, unloading everything into the sink and placing the proper items back into the refrigerator. She took the things from Emma as well. "But thank you. Tonight is about me treating you. Now, go sit down on the couch and I will bring the dessert to you."

 **. . .**

"Chocolate covered strawberries?" Emma mumbled through a full mouth. "You made these? You really are too good to me."

Regina smiled, happy to know that the other woman was enjoying herself. She wanted to spoil her. Make her comfortable. Turn her on. And a sensuous dessert was going to be just the trick. Regina leaned towards the table, reaching for another strawberry. She dipped it in the bowl of whipped cream and brought it back to the couch, headed for Emma's mouth.

"Does feeding them to you make them taste better?" Regina smiled. But there was something more to it this time. Something in her eyes sent a bolt of energy straight through Emma's body.

"Yes." Emma responded weakly, swallowing the lump that was forming in her throat.

Regina touched the chocolate covered fruit to Emma's lips and she opened her mouth to take a bite. The juices were dripping down her chin, but Regina was quick to remove it with a kiss. Suddenly she was feeling warm and it wasn't for lack of air conditioning. Emma knew this feeling well. It happened every time they were together and it was getting harder to fight. Or maybe it was just that she didn't _want_ to fight it anymore.

"Good." Regina licked her lips, watching Emma chew and swallow the last bite she'd been given. "I was hopeful."

Emma watched helplessly as Regina reached out to run her hands down the front of Emma's shirt. Regina moved, standing up briefly before turning to face the other woman. Emma sat looking up at her as Regina climbed back onto the couch, straddling both of her legs and pressing heavily into the blonde beneath her.

"Regina?"

"Did you get enough dessert?" Regina asked, ignoring the question. Her voice low and her tone provocative.

"I'm getting the feeling that's a trick question." She answered, looking up to meet her eyes.

Regina leaned in, placing her hands on either side of Emma's head. Emma had never been shy _or_ reserved, but Regina was important to her. They'd both been anticipating this moment for so long now that she didn't want mess it up. Everything had to be perfect.

"I'm only wondering if you've had enough."

Her tone was light, but the way the words rolled off Regina's tongue made Emma's heart race. The adrenaline was flowing and suddenly she wasn't quite sure what to do with it. Did she push Regina away again? Tell her no, not yet? If not now, when _would_ the time be right? Never?

 _No. Now._

Emma seized the moment and captured Regina's mouth with her own. Her hands feeling their way up the smaller woman's back. Her fingers coming to a rest and tangling in her hair. Emma kissed her with purpose. Pressing their mouths together, teasing Regina's lips with her own. Emma's tongue snaked out, barely catching soft lips. Regina moaned. Her breathing was becoming ragged and deep.

Taking Emma's face in her hands, Regina kissed her again, feverishly and for several moments before pulling away. A low, sensual, growl escaped her lips. She stood. Taking Emma's hand, Regina pulled her from the couch. Their eyes met and neither of them moved. Their breathing was shallow and both knew what the other was feeling. This was it. Regina took a step back. Then another. With each step she urged Emma to follow her up the stairs. Silently Regina was hoping that at any moment Emma would take control of the situation and give her what she so desperately wanted.

And she did. Never taking her eyes off of the smaller woman, Emma found herself lost in the chocolate brown pools before her. When Regina stopped, having reached her destination, Emma moved in closer. She slipped her hand, the one still clasped with Regina's, around her own waist, encouraging Regina to let her hands roam. Emma tilted Regina's chin, pulling her in for another kiss.

Just as their lips were about to touch, Regina turned the tables and flicked her tongue lightly across Emma's lips. She pulled back, looking up into her eyes as if to ask if what she had done was acceptable. Emma could only smile and remind herself to take things slow.

"No more waiting, Emma." Regina whispered, shaking her head. On the outside she appeared calm and collected. Inside she was begging. Softly, she brushed her cheek against Emma's. Regina loved the way the other woman's skin felt against her own. Something about the contact intensified her emotions. Sparked. Turned her on. "I need to be close to you. I need to feel you."

Emma's heart was in her throat. She wanted more than anything to be close to this woman in every way imaginable. And knowing that Regina's expectations would be high, Emma fully intended to make this night a memorable one.

"Please."

Kissing her softly, Emma found the hem of Regina's shirt and lifted. Pulling it up and over her head, she dropped it to the floor next to their feet. Another kiss. Warm and wet. Tongues sliding over each other. Teeth nibbling on delicate lips. All the while Emma's hands undid the smaller woman's belt. Then the button of her jeans. Before she could remove them, Emma was stopped by wandering hands underneath her own shirt which she allowed Regina to remove. Silently she reminded herself to go slow.

They continued to undress each other until they were down to their last two articles of clothing. Emma was pleased to see that Regina was wearing a simple black bra and matching black lace panties. The way the thin lacey band rested on her hips lit Emma's imagination on fire but she remained focused on the task at hand.

"Lay down." Emma instructed in a whispered voice and followed Regina onto the bed. She watched as the other woman crawled toward her pillows, taking notice of her lightly tanned skin, the gentle curve of her hip and the way her lacey thong disappeared between her firmly rounded cheeks.

Emma's tongue slipped out to wet her dry lips as she watched with an appreciative gaze. Following Regina, she stretched out next to her and pulled her onto her side so that they were facing each other. Emma allowed her eyes to roam and found her hand caressing the soft skin beneath her fingertips, stopping at the clasp of her bra. With a quick squeeze, the material was unhooked and fell loose in the front, just as she had intended. Emma felt Regina gasp lightly.

It was all the encouragement she needed. She gently pushed Regina back down onto the bed and positioned herself above her. Removing the material in her way, Emma tossed the garment off of the bed and returned her attention to the small mounds of flesh beneath her. Emma softly licked her lips, lowering her mouth to the hardened nipples before her. She first took one into her mouth and then the other, teasing relentlessly with her tongue, occasionally nipping and sucking her way around the firm and darkened tips.

Regina's back arched from the bed, pushing her breasts closer to the woman above her. She'd waited so long to feel Emma's mouth and hands on her sensitive skin. Nothing had ever felt quite so good. Cupping Emma's face in her hands, she guided the other woman back up to meet her eyes. They stared at each other for a long moment.

"I love you, Emma." Regina spoke softly, needing to say the words _before_ they went any further.

Emma's heart skipped a beat then. Until that moment, she had never entertained the idea that someone could ever make her feel the way she was feeling right now. Something about this woman made her feel whole.

"I love _you_ , Regina."

Regina lay there helplessly beneath the blonde, her body on fire as Emma kissed her everywhere. Slowly making her way down, she stopped when she reached the thin lacey material that covered Regina's hips. Emma ran her hands down her sides, stopping to slip her fingers under the edge of her panties. Both women held their breath as Emma slid the material down her legs, tossing them aside as well.

She lifted Regina's leg, placing light kisses on her foot, up her leg, past her knee and working her way back up until she was face to face with her once more. Emma slipped an arm under Regina's back, pulling her close. With her free hand, she caressed the soft skin beneath her fingertips. It only took a nudge of encouragement for Regina to open up to her, granting Emma the entrance she was seeking.

"Oh god, you're so wet…" Emma whispered against Regina's mouth as her fingers began their gentle exploration.

Regina moaned as she lay there beneath Emma, feeling her touch. She found it almost impossible to be still. But it was so easy to enjoy. Everything with Emma was easy. This moment in particular which she had waited so long for. She had all but begged for it so many times before. But Emma had made her wait. And Regina had a feeling that the wait was going to be more than worth it.

She gasped lightly. A sharp intake of breath as she felt Emma enter her for the first time, filling her completely and she knew that nothing could be more perfect. Her body arched and she wrapped her arms around the woman above her, pulling her closer. She couldn't get close enough.

The small, almost inaudible, sounds of pleasure coming from the woman in her arms were proving to turn Emma on more. Staying focused was becoming a task. She wanted to lose herself in Regina; could feel the world slipping away as she pushed deeper into the warm silky wetness she'd discovered.

Emma leaned in, brushing her cheek against Regina's, feeling her soft skin. Taking in her scent. Memorizing every possibly sensation. Emma's eyes fluttered, closing for a brief moment. It was almost too much. Feeling Regina squeezing her fingers. Her arms wrapped around Emma's back and she raked her nails against her skin. Their actions becoming faster. More fevered. Regina's body began to rock and Emma knew that she was close, waiting only for the right moment to push her over the edge. Leaning down, she flicked Regina's nipple with her tongue before catching it gently between her teeth.

A sharp sensation shot through Regina's body and her world began to spin.

 **. . .**

"Welcome back," Emma smiled, hovering above Regina, who she was quite certain had passed out momentarily.

"Mmm," Regina produced a low growl of pleasure. Her face flushed, she smiled. "Hi."

"Hi." She whispered in return.

"That was...more amazing than I imagined. And believe me I've imagined it a lot." Regina told Emma, still speaking in a hushed tone as if anything louder would break the spell they were under. Emma averted her eyes, feeling overwhelmed by the compliment.

"I try. And I'm glad I lived up to your expectations." She finally responded. Making eye contact once more, she captured Regina's lips and distracted her with a kiss as she slowly slid her fingers free of Regina's tight embrace.

Emma pulled her close, their bodies entwined, not wanting to let go. She knew that she would have to. Emma still wasn't ready to stay the night. As impersonal as she knew it would be to leave, there were still so many wounds that had yet to heal. Little did she know, Regina understood.

"Stay with me until I fall asleep?" She mumbled sleepily, her eyes already drifting shut.

 **. . .**

The sun had been down for hours. The sky was dark and it was a rare occurrence to be able to see the stars in the sky. Tonight wasn't one of those nights and Emma found herself speeding down a long stretch of open road. As promised, she had stayed with Regina until she had fallen asleep. And when she had, Emma had carefully extracted herself from the woman wrapped around her, gathered her things and then she was gone. With nowhere in particular to go, she just needed to drive. Needed to clear her head. Emma had wanted to stay. But staying would cement things. It would cross a line that she had drawn after Amanda left. Maybe one day.

She easily resisted the urge to take in the all too familiar scenery, choosing instead to focus on the rapidly passing lines of the deserted road. Eventually she would turn around. But for now, Emma headed towards the National Harbor. A place she knew well, it was quiet and dark, but more importantly it was mostly empty at night. It would remain that way until the early morning hours came and people would start showing up to take out their boats or to get in some early morning shopping.

On National Harbor Boulevard, Emma followed the soft right hand curve and drove through the roundabout without a single yield. This late at night, there was never any reason. Another block down, she took a left turn and headed toward the Central Park. At the last moment, she pulled the car over to the side of the road, coming to a stop under one of the many brightly lit street lamps. Killing the engine with one hand, she retrieved her cell with the other. Dialing a number she knew well, Emma waited patiently for an answer. She had bosses. Several in fact. But she always found it easier to just go as high up as she could get away with and lately that meant dealing with Assistant Director Ragan. Besides all that, he seemed to have a special interest in the Mills case.

"Swan…You better have a damn good reason for waking me up _again_ in the middle of the night." Her boss grumbled on the other end of the line.

"I know, sir. But I really need to talk to you. It's about Regina." She said in a rush, hoping he wouldn't explode or hang up on her.

"Who?" He was clearly confused.

"Mills's niece, sir. I have substantial reason to believe she's clueless." Emma explained. "She has no idea what a creep her Uncle is. She doesn't know anything about what he's involved in."

"I don't give a damn _what_ her story is, Swan." Ragan's voice boomed through the line. "We've got a case to close, do you hear me? I'm tired of dealing with it!"

"Sir." The pleading in Emma's voice was clear. "If you would just listen, you'd know I'm right about this. There are circumstances that-"

"It's three in the morning and you're testing my patience, Swan." He warned. "Now I don't care what you do to get your information, on my time _or_ yours. But you start letting personal bullshit cloud your judgment and we're gonna have problems. I'm tellin' you. You're pressing your luck Swan. The entire purpose of this investigation is to take down that family and whoever is involved with them."

"Sir!" Emma raised her voice. "Mills doesn't want her involved. He's got people everywhere, going out of their way to keep her clean."

"Do your job, Swan and I'll do mine. I better start seeing results." He demanded. "Are we clear?"

Before she could respond, the line went dead. The only thing she had just accomplished was to make things worse.

" _Damnit_!" Emma yelled and clenched her phone, resisting the urge to throw it against the dash. Instead she took a deep breath and climbed out of the car. She found herself pacing, frustrated and clueless about what to do. "There has to be something…" she mumbled to herself.

Emma ran her hands over her face, exhaustion beginning to catch up with her. Getting back into the car, she took off, still not ready to give in and head home just yet. She navigated her way back to the main road and as soon as she pulled out, a set of headlights appeared in the rearview mirror. Emma knew immediately that something wasn't right. The harbor was patrolled regularly, so there was never anyone around in the middle of the night except for stragglers leaving the local bars. And they were almost always drunk and leaving in a cab. Emma knew this because it was a location frequently used by herself and other Agents to meet informants. And she certainly didn't remember seeing anyone when she had pulled in beforehand.

 _What the hell?_ Emma thought to herself. What she did know was that she wouldn't be going home any time soon. Not when she was being followed. Unless going home was the best idea. If she allowed the suspicious vehicle to follow her home, they would have no other choice than to move on.

 **. . .**

Once she reached her driveway and pulled the Z back into the garage, Emma hit the button to close the door and ran into the house quickly to make sure the vehicle wasn't going to hang around. Peeking through the front window she caught the vehicle just before it disappeared out of sight. A black non-descript sedan.

"Well that narrows it down." Emma mumbled to herself. Digging her phone out of her front pocket, she pulled it out to check the time. It was three a.m. There was no way she would be able to sleep now. Right now the only thing she wanted to do was hold Regina in her arms again. Lighting up her phone once more, she made a decision. Clicking on the familiar icon, she selected Regina's name and began to type out a message.

" _I know it's late…but I was hopeful you were awake?"_

Emma took a deep breath and pressed the send button, surprised when not a full minute later, her phone was vibrating in her hand.

" _Been awake since you left. I can't seem to sleep. Come back to me."_

Emma smiled to herself. Just what she'd needed to hear. She knew she should have just stayed. So she replied, _"_ _On my way."_


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

Around eleven the following morning Emma pulled into the parking garage of the J. Edgar Hoover building where she worked. Home of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Sliding off of her motorcycle, Emma headed for the entrance, taking her helmet off as she walked. Under normal circumstances she would have left it with the bike. But today she didn't have time to stand around and strap the helmet down. Emma was pissed. Walking through the door, she flashed her I.D. to the guard on duty, even though she'd known him since she first started her job there. It was protocol for anyone who walked through the door to show their identification.

Once she was past security Emma picked up her pace to a near run and caught the first elevator pushing the button for the fifth floor. She tapped her foot impatiently during the slow ride and when it came to a stop she was pushing her way through the doors before they were barely open. Emma wasn't happy and anyone she passed could tell by the look on her face. Stalking down the hallway she reached the door to her boss's office and shoved it open. She didn't even bother to knock. Luckily he was alone. Slamming the door behind her, Emma threw her helmet into a chair and came to a stop directly in front of his desk.

"Why are you having me followed?"

He looked up and responded calmly. "Excuse me?"

"You're seriously going to act like you don't know what I'm talking about?" She asked. The annoyance was prevalent in her voice. "There was a car on my ass all night after you hung up on me. And it followed me _all_ the way home."

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about, Swan. You have some nerve coming in here accusing me of _any_ thing. And not that I really need to explain myself to you, but let me make this clear, my men have enough things to do as it is, without having to take the time to babysit you in the middle of the night! So what you're telling me right now is that _someone_ is on to you and probably for hanging around that woman. Maybe I should be talking to your supervisor?" Ragan continued his rant, tearing into Emma without remorse. "All I need is for this case to get blown all to hell because you can't keep it in your pants! And please spare me the 'I'm offended' routine, Swan because I know you better than that."

Emma stepped back calmly. She couldn't argue this time the comment about her personal habits or the idea that someone else had been following her. He had to be right. Someone had to be on to her. There was no other explanation. Furthermore, she found herself wondering if he was just throwing verbal punches or if he actually knew that she had been seeing Mills' niece. The look on her face must have conveyed more than she realized because her boss spoke again before she could think of anything to say.

"I know exactly what you've been up to, Swan." He started. "If you're standing there thinking that I don't know what my agents are doing on a daily basis, you're in for one hell of a surprise. So sit down and take a deep breath before I fire your ass or have you thrown in jail just for the fun of it."

Emma sat down, her mind still in a daze.

"I think you need a break, Swan. This has gone on for too long." He held a hand up, silencing Emma before she could get a word in. "You need a break. You know it. I know it. Everyone in the department knows it."

"With all due respect, sir, you can't take me off of this case." Had she been anyone else, Emma would have been begging her boss. But that was never going to happen. The fact of the matter was that he actually could take her off the case. It was like they were dead in the water. They hadn't made any progress in months. It was almost as if that family knew exactly when and where not to be. Emma's mind was racing and she could hear her boss talking, but she wasn't listening. Her thoughts had taken over at the moment and now she was beginning to wonder if there wasn't a leak in the department. When she finally snapped out of her thoughts, the AD was still ranting.

"The day you're running this place, is the day you'll call the shots around here." Regan warned. "Until then, you'll do what I say."

"I'm the only one who's going to get that close to the family without going undercover and you _know_ an undercover relationship takes way too long to build to start now." Emma said evenly. On the inside she was beginning to feel the heat rise.

Ragan scoffed at her then. "What? Bedding the closest thing we have to a weak link in that family suddenly qualifies you?" He laughed haughtily. Emma could feel the blood rushing to her face. "If that's what it takes to get close to that family, or information out of that woman, I could've put any one of my men on this and things would be going a hell of a lot better than they are right now."

Emma felt an outburst bubbling to the surface. How dare he talk that way about Regina? How dare he be so arrogant? So disgustingly sexist and small-minded. Until now she had considered Ragan to be a fair man. Understanding and supportive. But now. Now she was seeing a whole new side. And that side was making her sick.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Apparently you're too emotionally involved to know what _you're_ talking about, Swan. I've had enough of your antics. I've put up with your unconventional methods because you're a good agent and we've never had a problem. But now? Your little stunts are beginning to push my buttons." He paused. Emma watched as he clenched and unclenched his jaw. She knew he was deciding whether or not to say what he clearly wanted to say. The question was did she even want to hear it? More calmly he spoke again. "Swan, I realize the past few years have been rough for you. But it's time you start thinking about whether or not this is still the job for you. Ever since-"

"Don't you _dare_ bring that up." Emma hissed at him, standing from her chair. "You have _no right_!"

"It's already done, Emma." The use of her name was enough to make her realize that the Assistant Director thought he was doing what was best for her. But that didn't mean she had to like it. And it most certainly didn't mean she had to listen.

She jerked her helmet out of the other chair and turned to look him in the eye. "This is bullshit and you know it."

"Life is _full_ of disappointments, Swan." He responded as she started out of the office. "You should take this time to decide whether or not this is still the job for you. Your immediate supervisor will be finding you some paperwork to deal with. Can you handle that? Or are you gonna go green on me and start a 'Save the Trees' foundation?"

"Fuck you," She mumbled low enough for him not to hear as she turned her back to him. She paused in the doorway as he opened his mouth again.

"While I'm on a roll here, let me add that you are to have no further contact with that woman." Just as she was about to protest, he stopped her with a hand once more. "That's an order. And it's for your own good. And if I find out otherwise…"

"You can't expect me to just drop this." She turned, door still in hand. "I already have an established relatio-"

"Out of my office, Emma. Now."

"Don't call me that." She snapped at him.

"I'm sorry. Does your little girlfriend call you by your first name?"

Where was this coming from? Her boss had never been cruel. So why now? What had happened to bring all of this on? Storming out of the office without responding, Emma nearly bowled someone over in her rush. Not caring, she was still on her way when she felt a firm grip catch her by the wrist. Neal. When she turned back to him, a menacing look marring her normally gorgeous features, Neal let her go.

"What's eatin' you?" He asked, just as another of their co-workers walked by.

"Her girlfriend!" The guy commented rudely. And laughed to his self.

"Oh fuck off, Jones." Emma sniped without giving him a passing glance.

"Hey! What's going on, Em?" Neal ignored both of them.

"Ragan just suspended me from the case." She answered through clenched teeth.

"He _what_?"

Jones came strolling by again and stopped to interrupt their conversation once more. "She's out, I'm in. Looks like we might be working together." His tone was smug and Neal didn't like it one bit. Like hell he would be working with that half-cocked rookie. "Assistant Director Ragan seems to think I've got a little more…potential, these days, if you know what I mean."

"Great." Neal mumbled as he watched Jones walk away. When he turned back to speak to his best friend, Emma was half way down the hall. He took off after her. "Swan, wait up."

"I can't believe he replaced me with that asshole! That weasel sits in this Gods forsaken office filing papers all day and suddenly he's qualified to head out into the field and take this case to the bank. I swear to the Gods if he goes near her…" Emma trailed off, cringing at the thought and fighting back tears of anger and frustration.

"The guys an idiot, Em. He's just a brown-nosing rookie looking to get some recognition. We were all that rookie once, remember? Ragan is just trying to make his self look good, so he picks someone he knows won't ask questions. Someone he knows will just do what he tells them to." Neal was attempting to calm Emma down. Instead, the wheels were turning in her head. She knew something wasn't right. "So he's gonna send Jones into the field and let him bring in whoever he wants for questioning, just to watch that family squirm. We haven't gotten anywhere in months. What makes you think he's going to either?"

A look of panic crossed Emma's face.

"What?"

"Jones will go straight for Regina. Ragan called her a 'weak link'." She answered. "He can't bring her in here. She doesn't have a clue what's going on."

"Regina? Regina Mills? That woman you drove home from the bar? The one we were watching _just_ yesterday?" Neal needed to make sure they were on the same page. Why was Emma getting so bent out of shape over this girl? "Why wouldn't Jones bring her in for some questioning? You said you weren't getting anywhere with her. Maybe someone else should try."

Neal had no idea that his best friend had been seeing Regina since the night she'd taken her home. Emma had left him under the impression that she had only crossed paths with her once or twice and attempted to feel her out for information.

"She's clueless Neal. She's innocent and I'm the only one who sees it."

"You're kidding right? You don't really believe that? You've seen the pictures Em. You've read the files. The evidence is there. We _watched_ her make an exchange with our own eyes. That entire family is involved. But she's the one they have making exchanges. It only makes sense that they would want to question her. They bring her in, it pisses off her uncle, guy gets sloppy..." Neal reasoned with her, hoping for a response that wouldn't make his best friend sound like a nutcase. "Em, why did Ragan pull you off of this case?"

The rookie, Jones, walked by just as Neal had asked.

"Somebody couldn't keep it in their pants." He chirped in a sing-song voice. "Or their feelings out of the bedroom."

"Hey man," Neal had finally had enough and snatched the guy up by the collar of his shirt. "One more word out of you and I'm going to _let_ her beat the crap out of you. Don't you have some _mail_ to deliver?"

At Jones's look of horror, Neal released him and turned back to his best friend, a demanding look on his face. "What the hell is he talking about?"

"I _really_ don't need this from you, too." Emma walked down the hall and jabbed the button to catch the next elevator out of the office. The doors opened almost immediately. Neal followed her into the cramped box and neither of them spoke until it hit the bottom floor and everyone filed out. As they stepped out, Emma turned. Pointing to a stack of files Neal had forgotten he'd been carrying she asked, "You got work to do? Or you up for some food?"

Emma's stomach was growling. If she was going to tell him everything, she was going to do it over some food.

Neal glanced down at the folders. "These can wait."

"Let's walk. We can grab a bite at the place around the corner."

"Fine with me. I'll just drop these off at my truck." He motioned with the stack of folders.

 **. . .**

They made the short trip around the block and got seated immediately. Neal figured Emma wanted to talk and it was good a time as any. They waited for the server to take their orders and as soon as the guy was gone, Neal spoke up.

"So are you going to answer my question?" He watched his friend close as she sat back in her chair and regarded him carefully. "Why'd he take you off of the case?"

"I was out riding around late last night and I thought Ragan was having me tailed." She sighed heavily. "But now I'm not so sure who it was. I drove around for an hour after I figured out someone was following me. The same car was on my ass the whole time. And no telling how long before I noticed. I had just been on the phone arguing with Ragan before. So I just assumed."

The two sat in silence for a moment.

"When I came in this morning, I marched into his office and accused him of having me followed. He gets pissed and tells me I'm going to be doing paperwork for the rest of my natural life and that I should use that time to decide if I'd like to keep my job. I don't think he would have lied. I made him mad, but at the same time, it was like I just handed him my ass and said 'guess what, someone is onto me'."

"Could be one of Mills' guys. Anyone could have seen us sitting outside that restaurant." Neal reasoned. He was quiet for a minute, giving the whole situation some thought. "You're one of the best, Em."

"Why do I feel a 'but' in there?"

"But you must have done something to set him off." He finished. "Or he never would have thought about doing what he did."

"I don't know, Neal. For some reason he didn't want me working on this case to begin with." Emma rested her arms on the table in front of her. "He went from letting me get away with everything, to riding my ass _for_ everything. And now this."

"He has bosses too, Em. They're probably on him like he's been on us. It took us a year and a lot of ass-kissing to get put on this case and now we've been on it for two years. And he's been after that family for a lot longer than that. This goes back way before us." Neal attempted to reason with her. "So what's the deal with this girl?"

"She's not a girl, Neal. She's a woman." Emma corrected him.

"So what's the deal with this woman?" He reworded the question.

"After Ragan hung up on me, I realized I was being followed. I went to her place after I lost the car." Emma took a deep breath, purposely leaving out the part where she had been there all night to begin with. Even she was beginning to get frustrated with herself for getting so mixed up in the whole thing. But it was like she couldn't help herself. It was like she never even had a choice. "If it was one of Mills' guys, there was probably another car watching Regina's place which means they know _something_ is going on."

"Why are you working this girl- excuse me, this woman on your own time, Emma? It's not an undercover op. Though I'm not sure why it's not. Unless there are undercovers we don't know about." Neal stared off in the distance before mumbling, "And there _probably_ are..."

"You're the only one who doesn't get it, Neal." Emma smiled. "I think that's why I love you so much. It's like high school all over again."

"High school? What?" Neal asked, clueless. His best friend sat quietly across from him. Watching him. Waiting for the realization to set in. When it finally did, Neal looked at her like he was going to kill her. "You're _sleeping_ with her?"

No answer.

"Oh my God, Emma." Neal closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I don't know how it happened, Neal." She confessed. "I swore to myself I wasn't going to let it happen."

"Oh my God, Swan! You didn't just trip and fall into her bed! You've got to be kidding me. You picked the _wrong_ girl this time, Em. It's no wonder Ragan took you off the-"

"It's not like that with her…" she interrupted calmly.

"Look, you've done some messed up shit since-"

"Don't say it!" Emma warned, pointing a finger and pinned him with a look that could kill. Right now she was more than willing to punch her best friend in the face if he continued to take their conversation in the direction he had started. She was sick of people trying to bring up the past. Neal clenched his teeth together for a moment.

"You've done some messed up stuff, Em. But never this." Neal shook his head. "Never with a case."

Neither of them spoke as the server appeared with their food. Neal couldn't bring himself to touch his plate at the moment. Emma ignored his obvious distaste for what she was telling him and dug in. She knew he wasn't going to let it go, so Emma enjoyed the moment of peace and took the time to consider all her options for the questions she knew he was going to have. Neal just sat there staring at her.

"How the hell can you eat?"

"Easy. I'm starving."

After several minutes had ticked by, Neal finally started picking at his plate. The idea that his best friend had finally crossed the invisible line that was there for every agent was really getting to him. Through everything, Emma had always maintained a clear head and had never done anything that had the potential to jeopardize her job. Now this. He couldn't figure out what she was thinking. Had she finally lost her mind? No. Neal knew better. So what was happening? What could possibly make her let things get this far.

"Talk to me, Em." Neal finally spoke. Sitting his fork down, he looked at her thoughtfully. For the moment the agent was gone and Neal found his self slipping back into best friend mode. "What's going on?"

"There are too many things that just aren't adding up, Neal." Emma began; glad to see that her best friend had finally regained control of his brain. "She's either an Oscar Winning actress or she is completely clueless about her family. And if I'm not on this case, there's no way I can keep her safe without making things worse." She paused. "Ragan told me to stay away from her and that if I didn't…well, you know the drill. But anyway, with that idiot Jones running around like he's in a damn television show, there's no telling what will happen."

Neal continued to listen intently.

"Ragan refuses to listen to me. Getting to that family through Regina is never gonna happen. It's just not. Luis Mills has gone to great lengths to keep her out of the loop. And from what she's told me, he's seriously protective. If anyone goes near her, all hell will break loose."

"Okay, so what about all the evidence? What about the photos? What about that exchange yesterday?" Neal asked. "If she's not involved like the rest of the family, what do we have pictures of?"

"You're never gonna believe this." Emma shook her head and took a last bite of food before pushing the plate away. She covered the almost empty plate with her napkin, still chewing and sat back in her chair. "She's an artist, Neal. She's selling her paintings. That's what the packages and money exchanges are all about."

"But those men-"

"Are involved with her uncle, yes." Emma supplied. "And if I had to really reach and throw out a guess, these guys are buying her work and using the exchange for a distraction. But she has no clue. She meets them at her uncle's restaurant to sell the painting and it looks like they're doing business with her. Then when she leaves, that's when the real business happens. And that doesn't even touch the exchanges we _don't_ see, that are going on while we're distracted by the art business."

"But wait. If Mills doesn't want her involved, then why would he let that go on?" Neal had a good point. As usual, Emma had an even better answer.

"I don't think they ever considered that anyone watching wouldn't go with the simple conclusion that it really was just artwork. They probably assumed that if the FBI was digging into their family, they would find out that she was an artist. That all she was doing was selling her artwork." She said. "But somehow, we missed it. She doesn't show her work. No one knows what she does. So instead, we made it way more complicated than it was. We all just assumed that they were passing off something illegal. Which is _not_ what Mills ever intended. I think he actually believed that it looked exactly like what it was. But Regina doesn't exactly advertise her talent. So they just drew more attention to their selves. Mills tried to encourage it, but Regina doesn't want anything to do with going legit and selling her work. So Mills shops it around to his associates."

"Wow. Okay." Neal took a deep breath and shoved his half-eaten meal away. His best friend and partner had just given him a world of new information to think about. "You're right Em. Ragan is never gonna go for that. But I believe you. It really does make some sense. They were just so eager to get dirt on this guy that it looked all wrong. It's like everyone's gotten sloppy."

Emma nodded in agreement.

"So what's the plan? What do you want to do?"

"There's not much I _can_ do, Neal." She told him. "But I'm sure as hell not going to just roll over and let it go. I care about her and I can't let them drag her down. She's a good person."

"Em." Neal said. His tone serious. "Maybe you should let me handle this."

"I can't Neal. I can't just sit back and hope that everything works out. So please don't treat me like your partner right now. I need my best friend."

"What do you think I'm doing, Em?" Neal tried to remain calm, even though it was the exact opposite of how he was really feeling. "I don't want to see you get fired. I don't want to see you get hurt again. And I sure as hell don't want to see my best friend _dead_! But I'm telling you, if you mess with these people, with or without the protection of your badge, that's exactly what's going to happen. They have _killed_ people, Emma. And the only reason they haven't been charged for it is because they've never been able to pin it on a single person and it wouldn't take down the entire family business."

"We'll talk about this later." Emma stood. Digging money out of her front pocket, she took out enough to cover the entire bill, tossed it to the table and grabbed her helmet from the ground where she'd left it sitting while they ate. "I've gotta go see Regina."

"Great, Swan." Neal mumbled then yelled after her as she took off. "I'll call you later."

Emma threw her hand up in acknowledgment and kept walking. She had to get back to her bike. She needed to drive. Needed to think. Taking off on her bike was the only way that was going to happen.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

It only took her a few minutes to get back to the parking garage and then she was gone. It was almost three by the time she made the final turn that would take her to the familiar front stoop where she'd sat with Regina the first night they'd met. Emma had driven for a couple hours. She spent the entire time fighting with herself about what she was going to do. Break it off. Don't break it off. Lose her job. Attempt to keep Regina safe from a distance. If she chose to walk away, would Regina understand? Or would she hate Emma forever?

 _She's going to hate me. She'll never be able to understand. Especially after last night. I should have put a stop to it. Before…_ Emma thought to herself as she knocked the kick-stand into place and settled the bike into position. _Unless you just tell her everything._ She threw her right leg over the back side of the bike and took a deep breath as she pulled off her helmet. _Who are you kidding? You'd be signing your own death certificate. And probably Regina's too._ She ran a hand through her hair to straighten it out.

There was no way for Regina to understand because Emma couldn't tell her about her job. She wouldn't be able to explain. Regina would never buy a bullshit story about why she was breaking up with her because she knew better. She knew that there was something between them. Something greater than their selves. Emma knew that she couldn't just disappear. No explanation was sure to hurt her even more. It would leave a hole in both of them. Regina deserved better from her than that. Emma didn't know why, but she had never felt more whole than she did when she and Regina were together. When they were apart, it was like a piece of her soul was missing. _Why_?

This was going to hurt.

Another deep breath.

Emma took the front steps slowly. Just as she raised her hand to knock, the door swung open. It seemed to happen that way quite frequently. The woman on the other side stopped in her tracks and they both smiled. Emma noted the purse over Regina's shoulder but before she could speak Regina wrapped her arms around Emma's neck and pulled her in for a slow kiss. Emma's somber demeanor went unnoticed. But it couldn't stop the rush of images from flooding her mind as the kiss brought back memories from the previous night.

 _Now or never…_ "You were leaving." Emma stated. "I should have called."

Glancing down, Regina sighed. A smile creeping up on her lips. "I was," she answered. "But you know…you _could_ come with me." She stepped past Emma, closing the door behind her. She didn't wait for an answer, but instead took Emma's hand. "Let's go!"

She allowed Regina to lead the way. Emma was slightly nervous about being seen with her in public now that she was in trouble with her boss. Not to mention that it would only put off what she had come here to do. To tell Regina that they couldn't see each other anymore. It wasn't at all what Emma wanted. Her job was her life, but in the short few weeks she had known her, Regina had quickly been moving into that spot. And now she was being forced to choose. But Emma knew that ultimately she couldn't choose Regina without choosing her job first. She needed her job to find out what was really going on and help keep Regina safe. It was the only way.

"So. Where are we going?"

"To my Uncle's restaurant." She answered. "And please tell me you're on your bike!"

"It's a beautiful day. Of course I am." Emma said, gesturing just down the block and trying not to smile.

She was failing miserably. She gave in. Emma couldn't help but smile at the look of excitement on Regina's face. Emma caught her mind drifting as she watched the other woman. She wondered how anyone could suspect her of being anything but innocent. For someone who was linked to so many bad people, Regina seemed to be aware of so little. As they made their way down the steps Emma could feel the aura of excitement rolling off the woman whose hand was tightly gripping her own. Regina approached the bike with Emma in tow.

Emma laughed.

She owed herself that much. Didn't she? To enjoy the last little while that she had to spend with this woman who had completely stolen her heart. If she didn't allow herself that small privilege Emma was afraid that she might start thinking about what she was inevitably going to do. Right now, she wanted to leave that thought far behind.

Emma took the helmet off of the clip under the passenger seat and turned to Regina and smiled. For a moment Emma wondered why she hadn't gotten an extra helmet for Regina. It didn't matter now though. "You get to wear the head protection."

Regina accepted the solid black helmet and turned it over in her hands a couple times, clearly debating on something.

"And what about you?"

"Don't worry about me." Emma smiled reassuringly. Regardless of her position of authority, Emma always managed to break the law. And she very rarely hesitated to ignore the helmet law in particular. Slipping out of her red leather jacket, she motioned for Regina to turn around and helped her put it on. There was something about the sight of this petite woman wearing her jacket that warmed Emma's heart. However simple an action, it was something she'd never allowed anyone to do before. And here she was, offering it up without a second thought. It was just a little too big. Long in the arms. Loose in the shoulders. Why did she have to give her up? Why couldn't things be easier for them?

"Ready?" Emma forced a smile. Regina nodded.

 **. . .**

Much like the first night Emma had driven Regina home from the bar, she took her time. She didn't want the ride to end. The feel of Regina's arms wrapped tightly around her was something Emma wasn't quite sure she was prepared to give up. A part of Emma was begging her to take the nearest road out of town and never look back. Just run away with Regina and leave the rest of the corrupt world behind. Would anyone miss them? Maybe. But Emma didn't care. Knowing that in a couple of hours this woman holding onto her so tightly would probably never want to speak to her again, was urging her to slow even more. Emma intentionally made several wrong turns just to make the trip last a little longer. Regina was none the wiser. Or maybe she just didn't care. Either way, she held on to the woman controlling the motorcycle and took in the city around her.

Once they arrived, Regina was the first to slide off the bike. Emma however, wasn't in such a hurry. Regina stood, running her fingers through her hair as Emma finally dismounted the bike. There they stood. On the curb in front of a small family owned and operated Mexican restaurant called Mills Cafe. An appropriate name considering the owners last name was Mills. Predictable, but appropriate. Emma had never been inside the small restaurant but had driven by it more times than she could count. And not to mention the many stake-outs she had been involved in. Never in her life had Emma imagined she'd be walking in with the owners niece on her arm.

Taking Emma's hand, Regina led her through the front door and glanced over her shoulder with a reassuring smile. Emma didn't return the sentiment. Instead she found herself wondering if the place was bugged and if it was, whether or not her boss was going to break down the door when he found out she was sitting inside.

"I hope you're hungry. Uncle Luis never lets me come in here without eating before I leave."

"Actually, I just…had lunch with a friend." Emma said. But the words were lost as Regina walked towards the counter greeting all of the people with faces familiar to her. Even some that weren't.

If Regina had heard her, she didn't acknowledge it. Emma could tell by the way Regina was carrying herself and smiling that she felt at home in Luis Mills' place of business. Probably a result of spending more than her fair share of her teenage years there. Feeling a little nervous, Emma stepped closer to Regina and took both of her hands from behind. Amazing. A touch, such a simple sentiment could be so calming. As Emma looked around, her eyes settled on one customer in particular. He looked up in time for their eyes to meet. Jones. If it were possible Emma's head would have exploded. Though anyone who might have been looking wouldn't have even noticed the exchange. Jones knew he was going to catch hell and it wouldn't be from his boss. Pretending to ignore the fact that he was there, Emma leaned in to interrupt the conversation Regina was having with the woman behind the counter.

"I need to step outside for a minute. I'll be right back." She said quietly into Regina's ear.

Kissing her lightly on the cheek Emma let go of her hands and turned. She locked eyes with Jones once more as she walked through the front door. Emma made every attempt to look as menacing as possible. By the look on his face, her point had been well made. The minute she was back on the sidewalk Emma pulled out her phone and dialed her best friend's number. He answered quickly and barely got out a hello before Emma cut him off.

"Neal. I need you to do me a favor." Emma said, attempting to keep her voice down even though she was feeling extremely anxious.

Looking up, she saw Jones quickly look away from her. She wanted to march back inside and jerk the rookie out of his seat. Showing him how she was feeling at this particular moment was fast becoming a high priority on her list of things to do. But she knew just how bad an idea that would be right now. Instead she directed her attention back to the phone.

"Okay." Neal answered evenly. "What's going on?"

"I'm starting to wonder if Regina's place is bugged. And I don't recall that ever being approved." She said. "Do you think you could find it if you went over there?"

"You're getting paranoid Swan. And for all we know it could be _any_ where in her place." A pause. "If there even is a bug. Not to mention, Ragan will have your ass handed to you if he had one planted and we remove the thing."

"Neal…Please be my best friend right now. I'm not asking you to remove anything. I just need to know." Emma took a deep breath. She didn't want to have to tell him. The more Neal knew, the more he became an accomplice to her defiant behavior. _Do something._ "I'm down here at Mills' restaurant with Regina. We-"

"Damnit Em!" Neal interrupted.

"No! Not 'Damnit Em'. Just listen to me, Neal." Emma snapped at him but tried to keep her voice low. "We walked in and there sits none other than Rookie of the Year. Why is he here?"

"I don't know the answer to that, Swan." Neal sighed to his self. He was going to regret it, but it came out anyway. "See if you can keep her busy for a couple hours. I'll let you know if something turns up."

Emma relayed Regina's address to Neal and thanked him before they hung up. As she shoved the phone back into her pocket, Emma looked up to see Jones making his way to the counter where Regina was still standing. Emma stood there watching him for a moment. When his hand snaked out touching Regina lightly on the arm, Emma had seen enough. She saw him speaking as she walked with purpose back through the front door. Emma could tell by the way Regina stepped back that Jones was making her uncomfortable. She had seen enough and wasn't going to give him an inch. If he wanted to play, she wasn't going to make it easy for him.

Emma approached Regina exactly the way she would have whether or not Jones was present. She didn't care if he knew that she wasn't supposed to be there. Emma knew that she made him nervous and used it to her advantage. Taking Regina's hands from behind, she leaned in close. Her stance a protective one. She could see that underneath his cool exterior that Jones was worried.

"Is there a problem?" Emma looked Jones in the eye, though her question was for Regina. Regina only squeezed her hands.

"I- I was just leaving." He stuttered nervously, tossing his money onto the counter.

"Weird." Regina mumbled as the three watched him leave quickly.

A moment later the woman behind the counter spoke up.

"That guy was in here the other day. Askin' all sorts of weird questions about Uncle Luis."

"What do you think he wanted?" Emma asked suddenly. She found herself wondering how long this had been going on behind her back. Asking questions about a suspect in his own place of business just wasn't the way they did things.

"I thought he might'a been a cop or somethin'. Uncle Luis said not to worry about it." She explained.

Emma figured she must be in her mid-twenties and considering she kept referring to Mills as her Uncle that made her Regina's cousin. She looked nothing like Regina. Though they were the same height, the younger woman's features were distinctly Hispanic, right down to her long jet black hair. And the fact that she kept going on about Jones and the oddity of the entire situation, Emma was guessing that she knew just as much as Regina did about the mess going on behind the scenes. What was it about Mills that spurred him to leave the women in his family out of the loop? _I thought this was a 'family' business? Or maybe he just doesn't want her to find out what really happened to her parents._ Emma filed that thought away for later consideration.

"You know," Regina began. "That happened a couple months ago too. I came by to meet some guy wanting to buy one of my pieces. He kept asking a lot of questions and then left without buying the painting. I assumed Uncle Luis knew him, but when I asked about it, he said he didn't know the guy."

Emma almost choked on her own tongue.

 _Son of a bitch._

That one innocent little statement meant that all along Ragan had known that Regina had just been a cover. And now she was suddenly wondering why her boss had left everyone under him going after the same things day in and day out, when he had to have known all along that Regina had nothing to do with Mills' bad business. Emma didn't understand why he would have put either of them in the position of possibly backing Luis Mills into a corner by means of his niece. It was not the smartest thing in the world to do.

He had connections all over the city. Mills practically _owned_ the city. And there was no telling _who_ he owned, right along with it. Emma was nervous. With good reason. If Luis Mills had any idea who she was, Emma knew that she could be in trouble. And if Mills even remotely believed that Regina was in any danger, all bets were going to be off. The case would become anyone's game. Emma just hoped that she would be able to play it. And live.

 **Emma knew now that the only way she could protect Regina, was from a distance. Something was going on with her boss and the issues in the case had just gotten more confusing. If she could figure out what exactly was going on, maybe one day Regina would be able to forgive her and allow her to come home.**

 ** _Home?_** **Emma questioned herself. Didn't they just meet? Didn't they barely know each other? Or had they known each other forever…?**

 **Regardless. Emma knew what she had to do.**

 **"** **That must be my lovely niece I hear." A voice came from around the wall where the front counter ended.**

 **A moment later, the owner of the voice came into Emma's view and she thought she was going to be sick. The distinct Hispanic accent belonged to Luis Mills. Sure. Emma was cocky when it came to her job. She had right to be. But there were some things you just didn't push your luck with and she knew that this man was one of such said things. The pictures Emma had seen before did him no justice.**

 **She was surprised to find that he was a decent looking man. Luis Mills was not a tall man by any count. Next to Emma he was probably the same height as Regina. An average 5'6". A thick head of salt and pepper hair. Dressed extremely well, with impeccable manners. The way he carried his self alone was enough to command respect from anyone in the same room with him. That being said, Emma fought the urge to stiffen up and pasted on the best smile she could muster when he turned to give her his attention.**

 **"** **And who might this beautiful young woman be?"**

 **"** **Uncle Luis, this is Emma." Regina introduced her happily to her uncle, not taking her eyes from Emma's. When she finally did, Regina turned to her uncle and hugged him fiercely.**

 **"** **Emma?" Mills repeated once Regina had released him from her grasp. He nodded appreciatively.**

 **"** **Yes sir." Emma added, doing her best to be respectful and avoiding giving him her last name.**

 **"** **That's a good name Ms. Emma." Mills reached for Emma's hand and she allowed him to take it. He pulled it close and politely kissed the back of her fingers. Then he released it saying, "It's a pleasure to finally meet one of my niece's friends." He paused, glancing at Regina. "She never brings anyone around."**

Emma watched Regina from the corner of her eye. Regina cast her eyes downward, smiling at the thought that her uncle didn't seem to realize that there was something more between the two of them. But whether she realized it or not, Luis Mills was a smart man and knew immediately that his niece cared for this woman.

"So," The man clapped his hands together. "What would you ladies like for lunch today?"

"Surprise me!" Regina barely contained her enthusiasm.

"And for you Ms. Emma?"

Emma knew that for all intents and purposes Luis Mills was doing his best to play the part of the perfect uncle. But Emma was still nervous. Regina looked at her expectantly and Emma knew that was her cue to respond.

"I- I'm sorry. I just…I had lunch with a friend before I met up with Regina." Emma's tone was regretful. "If I had known-"

"Ah. You kids these days. You do not eat near enough. But that's alright. There's always the next time." Mills reassured her with a hearty chuckle. Then to his niece, "You be sure to bring this one _back_ Regina. She looks like a keeper."

Both Regina and Emma felt a slight flush creeping onto their faces as they watched Luis retreat to the back once more. Regina smiled up at Emma, slipping her hand into the grasp of the other woman's. "A keeper, huh?"

If Emma hadn't actually known who this man was, she might have easily bought into the act he was putting on for Regina's sake. She was thankful that wasn't the case.

 **. . .**

Making his way through the kitchen, Luis Mills told the chef what to cook and to make haste. Heading further into the back, Mills stepped into his office where a younger Hispanic man sat waiting patiently.

"Everything alright boss?" he asked, standing while Luis made his way around his desk to sit. And once he did, the other man remained standing as if awaiting orders.

"That Agent, Swan, is out there with my niece." He said evenly. The act he'd been putting on for his niece was gone. "You've been on her like I asked?"

"Yes sir." He nodded eagerly and shrugged his shoulders. Clasping his hands together he continued. "Looks like she just has the hots for Regina. Far as I can tell she ain't been up t' nothin' suspicious."

"Her presence with my niece is suspicious! Regina did not just accidentally meet an FBI Agent. You better keep an eye on her Manny. I don't want my little brother's only daughter mixed up in my business, you hear?" Luis awaited confirmation which he quickly received in the form of more eager nodding. "If that agent finds out. If she starts digging and putting pieces together, we're going to have a real problem on our hands with her. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

"No sir. No."

Mills dismissed the man then. Once the door was closed tightly behind him, the older man opened a drawer on his desk and pulled out a file. When he opened the folder there was a sheet of paper containing personal information and a photograph stapled to the top left-hand corner. The photo…was of Emma Swan.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

After their lunch Emma took Regina for a ride around the city. She was prolonging the inevitable even though Regina was none the wiser. It was better that way. Emma knew that she could get away with riding around with her for hours. It seemed she enjoyed the riding as much as Emma did. Just one more thing on the list to make what she had to do, harder. But she couldn't put it off any longer and so Emma decided to make her way back to Regina's place while she was still in the right frame of mind.

The street was crowded when they returned, forcing Emma to park her bike half a block away. As they climbed off the motorcycle and headed towards the house, Emma looked up to see Neal coming down the sidewalk. She faltered slightly but quickly regained her composure. As they passed each other, Neal smiled and gave a slight nod to Regina who smiled in return. Emma did the same to him. Neal shook his head casually, letting Emma know that he hadn't found anything and kept walking.

Unlocking the door, Regina turned to speak as she stepped across the threshold. Emma was still standing just outside the door, her arm outstretched to where her fingers remained laced together with the other woman's. Regina tugged gently.

"What's the matter?" Regina smiled, despite her confusion. "Aren't you coming in?"

"Regina, I-" The words caught in Emma's throat, nearly choking her. She felt sick. "We need to talk."

Regina stepped closer to Emma and casually leaned against the door frame. Her pulse was racing. Immediately she knew something wasn't right, but somehow remained nonchalant. "Okay. About what?"

"Well…It's about my job, really. It's just- things are getting a little hectic and something has come up that- that's going to have me really busy for a little while and-" Emma paused, noticing the sudden change in Regina's expression. Her body growing rigid and defensive. Emma knew her story was weak. If it sounded bad to her, she could only imagine how it must sound to the woman standing in front of her. "And I-"

"And you _what_?"

"And it's just really important that I focus my attention on my job. I-"

"I don't understand. I thought this was good. You and I-"

"It is, Regina. But I want to be fair to you and I just…I'm not gonna be very available and you deserve better than that."

"That's such bullshit, Emma. If you don't want to see me or- or whatever this is, then just tell me. But do not stand there and lie to me and blame it on your job." She said stiffly. Her voice rising in pitch, she added, "Whatever it is you do."

"It's not-"

"What DO you do, Emma? Or are you never going to tell me?" Regina asked evenly. "Do you even work for an 'investigation company'?"

"I _can't_ talk about it, Regina. I'm sorry." Emma paused, a pleading look in her eyes. "I don't have a choice…."

"You don't have a choice? Ohhh...That's right. Everything with you is this big secret. I have spilled my entire life to you. Everything. And I get _nothing_ in return, Emma." Regina yelled, stepping out onto the front stoop. "Nothing! Your life is this big secret and you choose not to let anyone be a part of it! And I don't understand why!"

Emma found a spot on the ground to stare at as Regina continued. She knew the other woman was right and with every word she found herself fighting harder against just telling Regina everything.

"I gave myself to you, Emma." She said weakly, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. "No one else ever mattered. And then I met you. Everything about you has consumed my life, Emma." Regina said, the words still coming out weakly and tears threatening to fall. "I care about you. Doesn't what I want matter?" She asked. "But no matter how close you are, you always keep yourself at arm's length. I thought maybe eventually you would let me in. But you haven't. And I still keep trying. I was more than willing to wait." The tears were falling now. She took another deep breath, waiting for a response that she knew she wouldn't get. Regina laid her hand on Emma's chest, hoping the contact would make a difference. "Maybe someday you'll trust me enough. I just hope it's not too late when you do."

"Regina. I'm sorry. I am." Emma said softly, stepping forward.

"Don't." Regina pushed and stepped away, her arm still outstretched between them. She was beginning to feel angry, a natural defense to the pain in her chest. "Please. Just- …don't."

"Okay," Emma nodded, hanging her head.

"I don't think I can be near someone right now who doesn't trust me." She added, causing Emma to look up at her once more.

Emma took a deep breath, fighting the emotions threatening to overwhelm her. "That's _not_ -"

"Save it, Emma." Regina shook her head, before running her hands over her face and through her hair.

Emma watched silently as Regina stood there with her head in her hands. She wanted more than anything to reach out to her, but Emma knew it wasn't a good idea. And she found herself wondering whether or not she should have ever given Regina a ride home that first night. If she had just listened to her best friend, then she could have spared this woman the pain she was inflicting on her now.

"God, I can't believe this." Regina screwed her eyes shut, shaking her head and letting out a heavy sigh. "You should go…"

Regina turned her back to Emma then and closed the front door without a second look. As soon as she heard the deafening sound of the door clicking shut, Regina leaned back against the wall and slid to the floor, burying her face in her knees. The pain in her chest was heavy and she felt sick. Where did things go wrong? Regina was clueless. Before she could compose herself, the tears began to flow heavily down her face, her body shaking as she sobbed helplessly.

"Damnit," Emma sighed, still standing in front of the closed door. There was no sense in standing around hoping. She knew Regina wasn't going to open it again. Hoping that she would open the door and tell Emma that she understood was pointless.

Turning, Emma hurried down the stairs, needing to get away before she changed her mind and begged Regina to forget everything she'd just said. Needing to be anywhere but where she was, Emma knew just what she needed and headed down the sidewalk toward her motorcycle. When she drew close, she looked up to find someone perched on the motorcycle as if it were their own.

"Can I _help_ you?" She yelled him as she quickened her step to reach the bike. The guy didn't move. He simply sat there smoking his cigarette and staring at her with indifference. He looked to be around Emma's age. Muscular build. Buzzed haircut. Emma knew right away that he worked for someone and felt certain she could guess who. "Are you deaf or just stupid? Get the hell off my motorcycle."

The guy took a long drag off his cigarette before standing up and throwing his leg over the back of the bike. He was tall. Especially compared to Emma's average 5'7". But she would not be intimidated. By his height _or_ his thuggish presence. She had dealt with plenty of men just like him, in her time with the police force and the FBI. He worked for someone, it didn't matter who. It still made him a 'yes-man' and if he was there to inflict pain or harm of any kind, he wouldn't have been sitting there waiting on her like the lap dog she knew he was. She watched as he dusted invisible lint from his clothes, which happened to be all black; and flick his cigarette to the ground.

"I don't know who-"

"Give it a break already," he said in an annoyed tone, waving a hand at her. His accent was thick, but his English was perfect. "I didn't hurt your ride."

"Who are you? I've got somewhere to be. Tell me what you want, so I can get on with my life."

"You Feds are all alike." He laughed at her. "You ask too many questions. Demand answers. _Stick your noses where they don't belong_."

Emma rolled her eyes and brushed past him, to climb onto her bike, choosing to ignore the fact that he knew who she was and what she did for a living. "You have no idea who you're dealing with." She warned him.

"I know more about you than you think." He looked her dead in the eyes. "Stay away from Regina." He warned, pointing a finger at her, causing Emma to pause as she was reaching for the key to start her bike. "She doesn't need you or any of your people messing with her head. She's one of the good ones. Innocent. Get it?"

"Oh I 'get it', alright." Emma came off the motorcycle again, stepping into his personal space. She stood chest to chest with the stranger for what seemed like forever. They were both sizing each other up. Neither appeared to be intimidated by the other. She knew now who he worked for. "I don't know what you _think_ you know about who I am or what I do, but I think you should mind your own business."

He simply smirked at her. Then, shaking his head, he turned to walk away.

"I'm going to take you down." She told him. It wasn't a threat; she meant it. "All of you." But he didn't falter in his steps. Just kept walking. "And as far as Regina's concerned, don't worry about her. I know she doesn't know the truth about who you people really are."

He paused then and turned to look back at her one last time. Emma's eyes spoke much larger volumes than her words. He believed her. Believed she knew Regina was ignorant to her uncle's affairs. He watched as she started her bike and pulled away. As soon as Emma was out of sight, he pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number.

 **. . .**

"Hey, what's goin' on?" Neal asked, immediately concerned when his best friend walked through his front door. Her lack of response was enough for him to know that she had something on her mind or that something was going on. And lately he wasn't sure what exactly _was_ going on with his best friend. He remained sitting on his bar stool watching her pace for a moment before speaking up again. "Stop already. You're gonna wear a hole in my floor."

"I've got to tell her, Neal. She has to know."

"Whoa, hey…Em." Neal jumped up and moved into her path. Bracing her shoulders with both hands. "Ragan will have your ass. Your job. Your _everything_ , if you do that. She could tell them everything and blow us out of the water." He paused, giving her a minute to swallow what he was saying. "You gotta think about this. About the consequences."

"What consequences, Neal?" She shrugged. Her attitude was telling Neal just how messed up his friend was feeling. "I don't have anything left to lose. Again."

"Em. Where is she?" Neal pulled back, a concerned look on his face.

"At home where I left her, I suppose." She shrugged, sighing heavily. Neal directed her to the couch then, sitting them both down. "When I told her that I couldn't talk to her about my job, she told me to leave."

"You can't involve her in this. You can't tell her anything, Emma." Neal ran his hands over his face. "You can't…you have no idea what those people are capable of."

"They have no idea what _I_ am capable of."

Neal was mildly concerned by the malicious tone in her voice. The two friends sat in silence for several moments; Neal trying to figure out what was going on with his best friend. Emma, trying to come up with a way to make Neal understand how she was feeling.

"If it was any other job…I'd say great. Go for it." Neal paused. He shook his head, sighing heavily. "They think she's a runner, Em. They think she is the go-between for her uncle and all the people he deals with. Whether she _is_ or _isn't_ …doesn't really matter right now."

"I feel something for her Neal. I didn't mean to." Emma admitted while Neal sat quietly next to her. "Last night when I went back to her place, we- we were lying in her bed and…Regina had fallen asleep, but I couldn't. I- all I wanted to do was lay there and watch her. So I did… I just laid there until the sun came up and held her."

Neal sat back on the couch, clearly surprised by the emotion in her voice. This was not his best friend. Not the same one he had two months ago. This was the friend he remembered from so long ago. Before-

"I think I…I'm in love with her, Neal." But love wasn't even the word that described what she was feeling. Emma had loved before. This was something else. "When she moves, I move. When she breathes, I breathe. I feel everything she feels. I know when she's close without opening my eyes. It's so damn intense it makes me sick to my stomach to be away from her."

Emma looked at him and Neal didn't know what to tell her. On one hand he was glad to see Emma starting to feel something for someone again. On the other he was worried that she would only end up hurt again. After a few moments of silence, Neal spoke as he continued to stare at the floor.

"As an Agent and your partner, I'm telling you that you cannot tell Regina _any_ thing about what's going on, Swan." Neal looked up then and put his hand on her leg. "But as your best friend, I understand that you've gotta do what you've got to do and…I won't stand in your way."

Emma nodded, taking it all in.

"I will say though, that I really think you should back off and wait it out a little. You've already done the damage of ending things. Give her some space. Keep an eye on her. If you really feel this way about her…she probably feels the same way about you. And if she's everything you say she is…she's probably gonna forgive you."

"I know." She agreed. "It's just so hard Neal. When I look at her there's just…something different. Stronger. I can't stand being away from her. It literally hurts. I feel like I can't breathe."

"I believe you, Em." And he did. Changing the subject, "So what do you have planned for the rest of the day?"

"Nothing. Just figured I'd take off and spend the rest of the afternoon at home. Maybe look at the case files again. I've got to figure this mess out. Nothing I tell Ragan seems to faze him. It's like all he sees is the prize and doesn't care how he gets to it. He's never been like this. I try to explain to him what I'm seeing and he doesn't believe it. And he doesn't want me asking questions. I don't know what else to do. There's something shady going on."

That reminded Neal. "Yeah, so tell me more about the photos and Regina's paintings?"

"Her paintings…" Emma responded, her mind immediately changing course, though she wasn't quite sure why they were having the conversation again. "All that damn _evidence_ we supposedly have of her passing off 'goods' to 'buyers', is her artwork. The photos of her handing over cylinders or other various size packages and receiving envelopes…are her paintings!"

"So all this time the feds have been watching her and the real deals are going down somewhere else?"

"I tried to tell Ragan. He wouldn't even consider it as an option. Hell, I don't think he even _listened_ to me." Then Emma remembered suddenly her conversation with Regina from the restaurant. "And today I found out something new. When I called you because Jones was sitting in Mills' restaurant, I found out of from Regina and her cousin who works there that Jones has been in that restaurant a few times before, asking questions. And then Regina proceeds to mention that she had a meeting with a potential buyer, there at the restaurant and the guy asked a lot of strange questions and left without buying the piece he'd contacted her about."

"Wait, that would mean that someone knew that she has nothing to do with 'family business'." Neal realized.

"Exactly." Emma nodded. "Someone knew and _we_ weren't informed. We've been stuck because someone is trying to keep us confused."

"Then we need to find out where they're doing the majority of their business transactions." Neal supplied. "We've checked the bank accounts and there's never been a single wire transfer. Strictly cash deposits from Mills or one of his goons and they make it look like every bit of it is coming from the restaurant. Everything this guy does look's clean. I don't know, maybe he's not keeping all the money in the bank. Maybe he's keeping it locked up in a personal safe or something."

"He's gonna screw up, Neal." Emma said firmly. "And we'll catch him when he does."

"So why would he risk letting us believe that his niece is in on it all, if he's going out of his way to keep her out of it?" Neal questioned. "Why not try to divert the attention away from her?"

"Because he doesn't know." Emma said, a light bulb going off in her head. "Maybe he has no idea we've been on her this whole time."

"Em…I get where you're headed with that. But a man like that doesn't miss such a small detail. These people know that we're sitting a block from their establishment watching their every move." He said. "We still have no clue whose hands are in his pockets either. He knows that we sit down the street with our binoculars and telephoto lenses. And _we_ know that we're never going to directly catch him doing something out of line. It's all a big game. Going around catching all the small fish until the big fish are the only ones left." He paused. "When they're the only ones left, that's when they'll slip up."

"I know. You're right."

"I'm always right." Neal smiled. "Don't worry, Em. We'll get 'em. Like you said."

"In the meantime, Regina hates me and thinks I'm a big liar."

Neal patted her leg gently. "It'll work out.


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12**

The middle of September. Emma sat quietly in her car several feet from Regina's house. It had been a couple weeks since she'd broken things off and as Neal suggested, she'd done her best to stay away and lay low. But Emma couldn't take it any longer and when she left work an hour earlier, she decided to drive by, hoping that just maybe she would catch a glimpse of Regina coming or going. Emma felt lost without her. One might go as far as to say she had almost begun to slip into a little bit of a depression. The sooner they could get this case dealt with, the sooner she would be able to beg for forgiveness and ask Regina to take her back. Until then, her only options were moping, moping and more moping. She didn't have the energy to do much else

Emma pulled her phone out to check the time. It was going on six in the evening. As luck would have it, she looked up just in time to see Regina climbing her front steps. Emma's heart skipped at the sight of the other woman and for a moment, she held her breath. By the looks of the paper bag she was carrying, it appeared that Regina had been out shopping for art supplies and suddenly it gave Emma an idea. Lighting up her phone, she unlocked it and dialed a familiar number as she watched Regina disappear into the house. Emma hit the push-to-start and the engine roared to life as she waited for the person on the other end of the line to answer. As she pulled out onto the street a woman's voice came through the line.

 **. . .**

A week later. Emma was at sitting at her desk with a mountain of paperwork in front of her. Reports were not Emma's 'thing' and entering _other_ Agent's reports into the computer was, normally, completely out of the question. But as it was, her boss had given her no choice but to come into the office and stay put. Day in and day out. It had only been three weeks, but it was already old. Emma heard her phone buzzing where she had tossed it onto the desk. She sighed heavily wondering who could possibly want to talk to her, but when she saw the number on the screen, Emma scrambled to answer it.

"Ruby?" Emma asked as she put the phone to her ear. "I was beginning to wonder if I was going to hear back from you."

The woman on the other end of the line laughed lightly. "Emma. You know better. I was going to call you back regardless."

"So. What's the news?" She asked eagerly. "Did you talk to her?"

"Yes. I talked to your girl." The other woman smiled as she talked, though Emma couldn't see her. When Emma had called, Ruby knew that she would have to follow through. Emma Swan did not ask for favors and as it turned out, what she had called Ruby for was not a favor at all. Ruby was the head coordinator at a local art gallery, in charge of booking local artists. "Just so you know, she agreed to meet me."

"She did? When?" Emma could barely contain her enthusiasm. She may not be able to be near the woman she loved, but that wouldn't stop her from trying to do something special for her. Regina was an amazing artist and even if she didn't realize it, Emma knew the rest of the world would if only they could just get a look at her work.

"I met her this morning at her house." Ruby answered. Ruby had met Emma and Amanda years ago when they had attended an opening for a friend of theirs. Ruby had been there overseeing the show and by the end of the night had made friends with the two. She ended up dating their friend whose work she was showing and though Amanda was gone Emma had made an effort to stay in touch with Belle and Ruby who were still together. She wasn't quite as social as she used to be, but Emma wanted to be. She wanted to get back out there. She missed her friends and going places with other people. "I don't know where this woman has been hiding, Emma, but you were right. She's amazing. I've got to get her out there."

"What did she say? Is she going to let you show her work?" Emma asked. Taking a deep breath, she ran her hands through her hair. "What can I do?"

"Calm down, Em. One question at a time." Ruby assured her. "She agreed to a show. We are going to work out the details this weekend. She's going to come by the gallery Saturday morning so we can put everything into motion. You were right about her though. She has no idea how good she is."

"No. She has no clue." Emma agreed. "But I swear Ruby, she's amazing."

"I just have one question, though." Ruby said. "What's the deal with you two? If you're not trying to get into her pants and you're not together, why did you call me? What's it to you?"

Emma took a deep breath. She had hoped the other woman wouldn't ask questions. Emma wasn't much for explanations. "She's- Do I really have to explain?"

"If you expect me to call you back and give you the details about this showing, you will." Ruby smiled to herself again.

"You play dirty." Emma responded, scowling into the phone. "And I can't tell you all the details because some of them are work related! But she has no idea what I do for a living. Her family is under investigation. So you can not mention my job to her. Actually, don't talk to her about me at all. I still don't want her knowing I called you. If she asks, you-"

"Emma!" Ruby interrupted. "I already had that conversation with her. And just like you said the first time we talked, I just told her that I'd met someone she had sold some of her work to and I contacted her because I was interested in seeing more of it."

"Oh, good."

"You're not getting out of it that easy. So stop changing the subject." Ruby countered. "I still want to know why you're trying to help her out. Who is she to you?"

"I was seeing her." Emma said, though it was a major understatement. "But I had to break things off because of my job."

Ruby gasped dramatically. "Emma Swan? Dating someone? What is the world coming to?"

"You're so funny." Emma laughed sarcastically into the phone.

"I'm just surprised, Emma." Ruby was more serious this time. "I know that you haven't been serious with anyone since Amanda. This girl must really be special. So what'd you do to screw it up and how can we fix it?"

"I'm working on that." Emma assured her. "Just do your part and I'll do mine. I owe you one."

"Okay, okay. Anything I can do, consider it done. I'll call you back after she leaves the gallery tomorrow." She paused before adding, "And Emma, it's me who owes you one. This chick is gonna make me a lot of money!"

After they said their goodbyes Emma tossed her phone back onto her desk. Maybe her day wasn't going to be so bad after all.

 **. . .**

"This is all very overwhelming." Regina said as she took a seat across the desk from the woman she'd met with the day before. Only a week ago, Regina had been sitting in her spare room, staring helplessly at an unfinished painting when she received a call from Ruby inquiring about her work.

"Don't worry." Ruby assured her. "Even the experienced artists get nervous when they have a showing. Besides, your work is amazing. You're going to do great."

"I'm going to take your word for it." Regina inhaled deeply, feeling slightly nauseous at the thought of sharing her work with the public. Emma had talked to her about it a time or two while they had been seeing each other, but Regina had just assumed Emma was complimenting her and encouraging her because she had cared about her. _I couldn't have been more wrong about that._ "So, when are you thinking we should do this? How long do I have to prepare."

Ruby smiled. "Normally I wouldn't have any openings until early next year. But believe it or not, it just so happens that I have an artist who needed a postponement which means if we can get you in here and set up this week, we'll have your opening this coming Friday and we'll keep the work for a week if you'll allow us. Anything longer would require that I book you a little further out. It won't give me much time to advertise you, but I'm pretty sure I can drum up a decent turnout. Regardless, I think we should start slow."

Regina did her best to swallow the lump that was quickly forming in her throat. A week? Not even a week, if she had to have her work here before Friday. She rubbed her forehead with one hand and clutched her purse tightly in her lap. Ruby watched her carefully, feeling sorry for Regina, as she had dealt with so many new artists who had felt exactly the way she knew Regina was feeling right now. "H-How does this work? What do I need to do?"

"First things first, I want you to take a deep breath." Ruby leaned on her desk and tried to appear as relaxed as possible. In her experience, she'd found that the bigger deal she made out of the situation, the more nervous it made the newbies. Regina nodded and finally released the air she hadn't realized she'd been holding onto. "Second, if you can get all your work, whatever you want to show, ready by Tuesday morning, my people will be there to transport it and we'll do the rest."

"You mean I have to choose what to bring you?" Regina's eyes widened and the panic came through in her voice. If she had to choose, not a single piece was going to make it to the art gallery. Ruby did her best not to smirk in amusement. She totally understood what her friend saw in this woman. "Maybe this is a bad idea. I don't need to make any money. I'm good, really."

"Regina. Honey. Don't think about it like that." Ruby spoke up, her voice calm and soothing. "You know what? Just get all of it ready. Everything you have available. It's not about the money. It's about showing the world Regina Mills and what she's capable of. If you happen to sell a couple of pieces, then congratulations. But you can't think about it too much or you're going to make yourself sick. Just trust me. This is all going to go off without a hitch."

"How do you know?" Regina's voice cracked. She was giving in. "Do I have to be here? I wouldn't even begin to know what to charge."

"Of course you have to be here!" Ruby explained. "You're worrying too much. Try not to think of it as a big 'to-do'. Just tell yourself that it's a social gathering. Or that you're just gathering opinions to help you perfect your talent!" She tried her best to calm the woman sitting across from her. "As for the pricing, my staff and I will handle that as well. You have absolutely nothing to worry about. All you have to do is show up on opening night."

It sounded simple enough, but Regina still felt unsure. She didn't want to 'perfect her talent'. She just wanted to paint. But if she was honest with herself, a little positive attention would probably do her some good. Since the day she'd left Emma standing on her doorstep, Regina had felt lost. She didn't care whether she got out of the house or out of the bed for that matter. She hadn't been out with her friends and the painting sitting on her easel at home had been untouched for weeks now. Maybe a little distraction was exactly what she needed.

 **. . .**

Emma's phone vibrated twice as she walked into her kitchen. Digging the phone from her pocket she was surprised to see a message from Ruby flashing at the top of the screen. She opened it to read, _"_ _Friday the 28th. 7:00pm until? Casual dress. Are you going to be there or should I expect to see you lurking outside the windows?"_

 _"_ _Not funny. I'll be there. But I still don't want to be seen. Thanks for doing this."_

 _"_ _Consider us even. See you there, Em."_

Emma opened the fridge to find it empty save for a few bottled waters and an old box of leftover take-out. She sighed heavily and decided that water was her only option and quickly grabbed a bottle before letting the door swing shut. Tucking the phone back into the pocket of her sweats, Emma headed for the living room once again. It was already past noon, but still she had yet to shower and dress. Better yet, why should she bother? It wasn't as if she had anywhere to go or anyone to see. Stretching out on the couch, Emma grabbed her pillow from the coffee table where she'd last left it and wrapped herself around it. If she could just make it through the weekend, Monday would be here before she knew it and she could get back to work and not thinking about how ridiculously lonely she was without Regina in her life.

 **. . .**

It was closing in on a month since Emma had been forced to break away from Regina and she hated every minute of it. The days passed and refused to get easier. Then again, Emma hadn't asked for her pain to ease. She felt like she deserved it. If she hadn't gotten involved, she wouldn't be sitting at a desk filling out paperwork all day, for other agents. If she hadn't gotten involved, maybe she could have helped to close the case by now.

If she hadn't gotten involved…she wouldn't have fallen in love.

 _In love? Yes. In love. If you didn't love her, you wouldn't be so miserable._ _You knew it the moment you met her._ Emma argued with herself. It had become part of her daily routine. The paperwork she'd been stuck with the past few weeks had been so mindless it was all she could do to focus long enough to get it all done. But now that she had something else to think about, the anxiety she had been feeling was beginning to ease. In just four days, Regina's opening would be here. It would give Emma the chance to get close to her, even though she wouldn't be able to let Regina know she was there. Maybe she would ask Neal to go with her.

"Swan." Emma shook her head, hearing Neal's voice as he approached her desk. He looked at his watch as he came to a stop next to her chair. "Are you going to stay here all night?"

"What time is it?" She asked, grabbing her phone to check. "It's six already?"

"Yeah." He said sympathetically. Neal knew how miserable his best friend was, but there wasn't much he could do. There wasn't much either of them could do, for that matter. "Go home, Em. Get some rest."

"All I _do_ is rest, Neal." Emma huffed, slamming her file cabinet drawer closed. Shoving her chair back, she gathered up her things and stood to walk out with him.

"I know. I'm sorry."

And he was sorry. Neal knew just how hard it was for Emma to stand by and do nothing. To know nothing. He kept her filled in on the case of course, but there wasn't much to tell. They truly were getting nowhere. And he knew they would both be in trouble if he let her get involved behind their bosses back. Both were quiet as they exited the building. There wasn't really a lot to be said. Neal knew that any effort he made would be shunned. Or irritate his best friend even more. Emma hated feeling helpless and even worse, she hated pity.

As they approached their vehicles, Neal stopped just short of his truck and turned to face his partner.

"How come you've been driving that car so much lately?"

Emma shrugged and glanced at the small sports car. "It's been cold at night."

"That never bothered you before." He pointed out.

"Just needed a change Neal. I'm losing my mind a little." She headed for the car feeling a little dejected. "I'll see ya later."

"Be safe, Em."

Neal watched sadly as she backed out and drove away. He missed his partner. But more importantly, he was missing his best friend.

The next morning, Neal stopped by Emma's desk first thing. Taking a seat across from her, he tossed a white paper bag onto her desk and pushed a cup of coffee her way.

"What's this?" Emma eyed her best friend suspiciously. Popping the lid off and lifting it to her lips she blew on it gently before taking a sip from the steaming cup. Neal knew she wasn't asking about the coffee, so much as why he'd brought it to her. "You must want something."

"Not at all." He sat back and laced his fingers across his mid-section. "You've been so down lately. I just thought you could use some caffeine."

Emma nodded, accepting his reason and wondering if this was the right time to ask him about the going to the opening Friday night with her. Taking another sip as she weighed her options, Emma sat the cup down and took a deep breath. "You busy Friday night?"

Neal shrugged. "Not that I know of, why? What'd you have in mind? We're not going back to that bar! The last time got you into a world of trouble apparently."

Emma stared at him blankly before deciding to ignore the last comment.

"Well," she started, "I called Ruby the other day and asked her to do me a favor."

"Ruby Lucas?" Neal questioned. He was confused for a moment before it dawned on him why she was suddenly contacting Ruby when they hadn't spoken in months. "It wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that she, oh I don't know, runs an art gallery?"

"Yeah. About that." Emma sipped her coffee. "I may or may not have sent her in Regina's direction. Ruby talked her into showing her work and the opening is Friday night at 7. I need a date."

"Is it bad that I'm not even gonna ask you why?" Neal shook his head in disbelief. "What do I wear?"

"Something casual." She smiled.

 **. . .**

Friday afternoon, Regina stood in her bedroom looking in the mirror, giving herself one last chance to change clothes before she walked out the door. She wondered what Emma would have said about the dress she was wearing. Emma was always complimenting her clothes and telling her how great she looked. Where was she now when Regina needed her opinion the most? After all, wasn't it Emma who had encouraged her to show her work? And now she was going to miss it. Regina sighed heavily, not feeling too confident about the evening ahead of her. She'd never missed someone so much in her life. Not even her parents. At least she knew that they were only gone because of the accident. Not because she wasn't good enough for them.

Shaking her head Regina closed her eyes, washing the negative thoughts from her mind. Deep down she knew that it had nothing to do with her. Whatever reason Emma Swan had for running away was her problem. Not Regina's. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Blaming Emma for her own actions didn't make her feel any better either.

"Planning on standing there in front of the mirror all night?" A woman's voice broke through Regina's train of thought. "You look _amazing_! You have nothing to worry about! You're going to rock that place, Gina."

Regina turned to look at her friend. "You're the best, Kathryn. I don't know what I'd do without you." She shook her head. The other woman smiled brightly at Regina who had called her and begged her to come save her from making a fashion disaster. They'd been friends since high school. "I know my hair wouldn't look this damn good without you, that's for sure!"

"Don't feed my ego. You know it gets out of hand when you do that! It'll be bad for everyone." Kathryn rolled her eyes. "That dress looks amazing on you by the way. You might as well keep it. It fits you perfectly. There's no chance it'll ever look that good on me again, after seeing it on you!"

Regina laughed, despite the gloomy thoughts in her head. "I'll never have another reason to wear it."

"And I imagine you never thought you'd have a reason to wear it in the first place!"

"You look great too, Kat." Regina complimented her, steering the conversation away from herself. "I really appreciate you going with me tonight."

"About that." Kathryn's brow furrowed. Regina suppressed a sigh, having failed to change the direction of their conversation. "What made you ask me to come with you? You know I would have been there anyway. The last time we got together, I would have sworn that you'd been seeing someone. But you didn't mention it, so I didn't ask."

"It didn't work out." Regina said stiffly and moved to leave the room, breezing past her friend. Stopping at the top of the stairs, she turned to look at Kathryn, her features softening. "Besides. I'd rather have my best friend by my side."

That wasn't true. Regina loved Kathryn, but she wanted nothing more than to call Emma and beg her to come to the opening. Even if it was just so that she could see her for a moment.

Kathryn Nolan smiled, leaving well enough alone and joining Regina to walk down the stairs. With one last pick, she added, "A best friend would know who you were seeing!"

"A best friend would wait for a better time to talk about it!" Regina nudged her, unwilling to have a conversation about Emma right now. Never mind the fact that she didn't want to have to explain to her best friend how she'd fallen in love, with a woman no less, who had promptly put a huge hole in her heart. There just wasn't enough time. They had somewhere to be.

"Okay, okay." Kathryn messed with Regina's hair, fixing a loose curl before they were ready to leave. "Let's do this, chick."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I just want to say a collective thank you for the kind reviews. Even the smallest "Can't wait for more" is enough to keep me motivated. Your words are appreciated!**

 **CHAPTER 13**

"Remind me why we're here, again?" Neal asked as they approached the entrance to the gallery. Reaching for the door, he pulled it opened and gestured for Emma to step inside first. She reached for his tie and straightened it before she walked in. "I have my suspicions, but I'd like some clarification."

Emma stopped and turned as the door closed behind them. "I just want to see what Ruby managed to throw together."

Neal threw his head back and rolled his eyes. They both knew she was full of it and when he looked back down at her, he said, "It's Ruby. She could pull off hanging a potato sack on the wall and calling it the next big thing in art."

"Then stop asking me questions you know the answers to." Emma gave him a disapproving look before quickly changing the subject. "Are you sure I look okay?"

Neal gave her a once over and sighed. Emma was wearing a simple pair of black dress pants with a plain white button down dress shirt, crisply ironed and unbuttoned just low enough to show a slight hint of cleavage. She was wearing heels, though she didn't need them, which gave her just enough height to tower over Neal. "You look stunning. Can we get this over with?"

"Yes. Just keep an eye out. I don't want to run into Regina. She can't know I'm-" Emma's voice trailed off as she realized that she'd lost her best friends attention. Following his line of sight, Emma's heart skipped as she realized what he was gawking at. She stood frozen, watching as Regina sipped from a glass of wine, wrapped up in a conversation with several people gathered around her. Emma sucked in a deep breath, not realizing she'd forgotten to breathe regularly in the passing moments. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she smiled to herself as Regina laughed at something someone had said to her. Before Emma realized what was happening, Neal was shoving her around a corner, taking charge before Regina happened to glance in their direction.

"Thanks." Emma mumbled, gathering her composure.

"C'mon, let's have a look around." Neal shook his head and encouraged Emma to walk into another room that would take them further way from the woman whose work they were there to see. Just inside the small room, Neal turned to the nearest wall and began browsing the paintings hanging sporadically around the room. Emma had already seen all of them, but somehow, seeing them in a gallery under just the right lighting made it all seem surreal.

"She's good, Em." Neal nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets as he perused the work on each wall. "I don't know much about art, but...I'm impressed. Can you explain it to me? You know...since I can't _chat with the artist._ "

She rolled her eyes at him then.

"I was confused when I first saw most of it. You know, because it all looks different. But then I looked into it on my own and I found out that what she's doing, some of it is photo-realistic, some of it is abstract, some of it is contemporary and some of it is graphic." Emma gestured to specific paintings that fell into each category. "But she doesn't see it that way. She doesn't have a specific style. She just- paints what's in her head."

Neal listened intently, taking note of the tone in his best friends voice. He could tell that Emma missed the other woman greatly and it hurt his heart a little to see her dealing with the mess she'd gotten into. "Let's have a look in the next room."

Neal threw an arm over her shoulder as they strolled to the entrance of the adjacent room. Emma came to a stop as they almost bumped into a couple just as they reached the doorway. The man and woman had been talking quietly to one another and hadn't seen Neal and Emma walking in their direction.

"Excuse us." The man spoke politely, holding up a hand to apologize as they all four side-stepped each other to make way. The woman smiled softly at Emma and though she returned the gesture, something inside her tingled and left her feeling like something wasn't right. They stepped further aside, allowing them to walk through and Emma followed them with her gaze as they hurried toward the front entrance.

"Emma." Neal cocked his head at her, having repeated her name more than once in the last few seconds. "What's the matter? They apologized for not paying attention."

Emma looked back him then, a confused look on her face. "I don't know. They just seemed- familiar."

"Big city, Em. You could've seen them anywhere." He shrugged. Peaking around the corner, he took note of Regina entering the room they'd just left and figured he better start trying to get his best friend out of the building soon. "Who's that woman with your girl?"

"What woman?" Emma asked, immediately getting defensive at the question. Neal gestured to his right and Emma glanced around the corner of the doorway. She sighed visibly at the sight of the blonde standing next to Regina. "That's Kathryn. They've been friends since high school."

"You think she's single?"

Emma swiped at him before grabbing his arm and dragging Neal to the next doorway and out into the main room of the gallery. Just as she was about to speak, Emma jumped at having been grabbed unexpectedly by someone behind her.

"Thanks, Ruby. You saved my ass." Neal smiled at the other woman.

"Damnit. You scared the hell out of me, Ruby." Emma said in a harsh tone.

"I'm glad you could make it." She smiled, proud of herself for one-upping Emma for a change. "Don't you two clean up nice! Did you see anything you just can't live without?"

Emma narrowed her eyes at the taller woman, wondering what exactly she was suggesting. Though she knew exactly what Ruby was suggesting and chose to ignore the question. "You did a great job with her work, Ruby. I can't thank you enough for pulling this off."

"Potato sack." Neal coughed behind Emma, causing her to give him a dirty look over her shoulder.

"We're about to get out of here, I think. I just wanted to see it for myself." Emma sucked in her bottom lip, biting it gently and taking in her surroundings once more. "She's amazing, isn't she?"

"Yeah, about that. You weren't kidding when you said she had no idea how good she was." Ruby gestured to the walls around her. "Did you know that she was selling these things for one and two hundred dollars a pop?"

"Wow. Really?" Emma nodded, seemingly impressed.

"No. You don't get it." Ruby corrected her then. "She almost spit a mouthful of wine on me before we opened tonight, when she saw the price listing on my desk that I drew up this week."

Emma brought back her confused face. "Well how much did you mark them up?"

"Honey, she was doing herself a _major_ disservice. This work is worth thousands." Ruby laughed at that. "It's only eight o'clock and I already have the customers to prove it."

Neal stood silently behind Emma as he listened to their conversation and stood on the lookout for the woman they were speaking about. Keeping his head on a swivel, his eyes sweeping the room like any good Agent would do. When he looked back to his right, he grabbed Emma and spun her around so that her back was to the room they'd previously exited, just in time to prevent Regina from seeing her face.

"You two should leave." Ruby said in a hushed tone. "I'll give you a call this week and let you know how the rest of the night goes!"

Emma pulled Ruby into a hug and thanked her once more before she allowed Neal to drag her out of the gallery.

As they headed to their cars, Emma thanked Neal for coming with her. She threw a hand up as he got into his truck and watched as he pulled out onto the street before heading toward her own car. When she pulled away from the curb, Emma noticed another set of headlights pulling out a few cars down the street. Considering she had been followed not too long ago, Emma was automatically suspicious. _It's probably just someone else leaving the gallery,_ she told herself. Putting it out of her mind, Emma headed towards Takoma Park.

Another Friday night, home alone. She sighed to herself and reached for the dash, digging around in the glove compartment. When her hand finally settled on the item she was looking for, Emma pulled out her Ipod and plugged it into a cord below the dash. Determined to keep the thoughts of Regina away, she hit the shuffle option and turned up the volume. Before she knew it, she was pulling into her driveway. When she reached up for the controller to open the garage door, Emma saw movement in her rear view mirror and turned to see a car coming to a stop at the edge of her front yard. Immediately she grabbed her gun from her ankle holster. She sat still for a moment, watching in her mirror, but no one got out. She'd had enough. Whatever this person was up to, she was going to find out.

Emma killed the engine and stepped out of the car with purpose. Gun in hand; she marched towards the car at the road. But before she could get there the engine went dead and someone opened the door, stepping out of the car with their hands held up, letting her know that they meant no harm. The man from the gallery that she and Neal had bumped into.

Stopping immediately, Emma stood defensively pointing her gun at him. "What do you want? Who are you?"

"Emma? Are you…Emma Swan?" He asked calmly, hands still up and in front of his self. Emma was distracted for a moment as she noticed the woman getting out of the passenger side.

"Who's asking?" She asked. Her voice was stern.

"We know who you are." The woman spoke up, not giving the man a chance to answer her questions. "We need to talk to you. We were hoping that you might be willing to help us."

The woman joined her husband. Emma took notice that the couple was still wearing the same clothes from the gallery. The woman in a not-so-casual evening gown and the man in a three piece suit. Emma didn't know who they were, but something about them was familiar and leaving her with the feeling that maybe she shouldn't be pointing her weapon at them.

"You can put your weapon down." The woman smiled politely. Her voice was soothing. "We aren't here to cause trouble. It's about Regina."

Emma's stomach jumped into her throat and she loosened her grip on the gun. She lowered it cautiously and relaxed her stance. All three of them remained standing at a safe distance from each other.

"Why do you look familiar? And I'm not talking about bumping into you at the gallery. Who are you?" She asked again. What she was thinking couldn't be possible. "One or both of you should start talking!"

The older woman cleared her throat. She was a nice looking woman. Her features, though worn from time, were soft and friendly. She was easily as old as Emma's mother. And Emma couldn't tell what color her eyes were in the dark of the evening, but did take notice that her hair was almost blonde. The man's however, was a light brown and didn't really suit him at all. Finally she spoke up. "Would it be too bold to ask you to invite us in?"

Emma exhaled deeply, weighing her options. Deciding that it was best that her neighbors not see her pointing a gun at two people in her driveway, she relented. "Do not try anything funny." As she turned to walk towards the house she added, "I have a gun."

"Duly noted." The man laughed nervously.

When they reached the front door, Emma was immediately regretting her decision to allow them into her home. She never had anyone over and though she was not a messy person by nature, her house had not been well tended to in the recent weeks since her separation from Regina. She hadn't felt like doing much of anything all. Least of all cleaning. As they stepped into the house, she nervously started gathering her files and stacking them into a haphazard pile on the ottoman she used as an impromptu coffee table-slash-work desk. She gathered several empty water bottles and stuffed them into a small trashcan next to the couch.

"I apologize for the mess." She said, gesturing for them to take a seat on the couch as she sat in a recliner across from them. "I'm not used to having guests."

"We understand Ms. Swan." The woman started. "We-"

"About that. Why do you know who I am and what do you know about Regina?"

Her tone was serious and the couple could tell that she still refused to let her guard down completely. Emma watched as they both glanced at each other for a long moment. Finally, the man nodded and took his wife's hand. Apparently an attempt at a comforting gesture. The woman turned back to Emma.

"My name is Diana and this is my husband Nathan." She swallowed visibly. "At least, that's who we are now. You may be more familiar with the names Cora and Henry. We-"

"That's not possible." Emma stood quickly, pointing a finger in their direction. She began to pace almost immediately before stopping herself just as quickly. She turned to look at the two them. "Regina's parents _died_! In a car accident. Sixteen years ago! Who are you?"

"I know this must be confusing." The man held out his hand, hoping that Emma would remain calm. "You have to understand. Everything happened so fast the night of the accident. We weren't given any choices. We-"

"You LEFT your daughter!" Emma snapped but didn't raise her voice. She turned to face them. "She was thirteen years old and you LEFT her with that man! You should have done something!"

Henry, or Nathan, whichever he wanted to call his self, hung his head at her outburst. Emma pinned him with a stare, wondering what could have possibly stopped them from coming back for their daughter. Of course she hadn't known Regina as a child, nor did Emma have a child of her own. But that didn't change the fact that she didn't understand how they could keep their selves away from their daughter for sixteen years.

"You missed everything." She shook her head at them. "You don't know your own daughter."

"I know this must be hard for you to understand." Henry-Nathan spoke again. "But I would be willing to bet that you know just how dangerous my brother can be."

Emma eyed him skeptically, still unsure of how they knew anything about her or what she did for a living. "Go on."

His wife, Cora or Diana put her hand on his arm, letting him know that she wanted to speak again. "After the accident, we were both severely hurt. The FBI swooped in and took control of everything. They made it look like we had died and they didn't let anyone see our bodies. They had fake documents that appeared as though we had drawn up a will. They took care of all the details. They just left behind one thing."

"Regina." Emma filled in the blank almost sarcastically.

"The family got there so fast that the feds didn't make it to Regina in time to make her disappear with us." She began to tear up. "They've kept us informed. But...it was never the same."

"Why are you here now? Why didn't you just reveal yourselves to her at the gallery?" Emma questioned, taking a seat once more. "Why come to me?"

"The people who have been our contacts in the Bureau, they said you've been watching out for her. Keeping her safe." Henry-Nathan said.

Emma ran her hands over her face and through her hair. "Something like that."

They were all silent for a moment, the tension in the room not quite as thick as it had been to start with. Diana watched Emma intently, trying to judge the facial expressions she was making at the floor. The way she fidgeted when they talked about Regina left Diana wondering if what she was thinking was true.

"You love her." She spoke softly. "You're in love with our daughter?"

Diana's husband and Emma both looked quickly in her direction. And then he back at Emma just as she opened her mouth to speak. "I-"

"It's quite alright." Diana was quick to interrupt. "All we have ever wanted is for Regina to be happy. And loved. You seem rather prepared for both of those things. The way you get defensive when you speak about her. Like you're trying to protect her. That's important. Why were you not together at her show tonight?"

"I've been having my own issues, with the Bureau." Emma responded, though it was a huge understatement. "I got myself into some trouble with my boss. And Regina of course doesn't know what I do for a living. Between living a double life and trying to keep her safe, I overstepped my boundaries with my boss and was told to stay away from her. But I guess you can see that I haven't fully obeyed that command. I'm not a dog after all."

"I see," Diana nodded. "Now we just have to find a way to approach Regina without her going to her father's brother about all of it. That's why we came to you."

Emma took a deep breath. Suddenly the pieces were coming together. She stared at them in disbelief. "Oh...You want _me_ to tell her?" She pointed to herself. "I'm seriously doubting that Regina will ever speak to me again. Let alone believe anything I say! And what if I do go to her? What then? You've been in witness protection for a reason. Do you know how dangerous it is for you to even be here? How has someone not already hauled your asses back to wherever you've been hiding? If your brother finds out you're here, that you're alive, you could completely ruin what little of a case we have. Clearly the FBI has been after your brother for a long time. But even the information you turned over wasn't enough. So why now?"

Emma spewed one question after another at them. Her mind was reeling and if her boss found out she'd been in contact with these people she was sure as hell going to be fired.

"Our contacts seem to think that someone on the inside is helping him slip through the cracks. What I gave them should have been more than enough to get him off the streets." Regina's father answered. "We were hoping that maybe you could take her away for a little while. Maybe it would make Luis get sloppy."

"That's not an option." Emma shook her head. "I can't risk my job or anyone coming after her, like he would surely do." She thought about her options for a moment. "If I tell her that you're alive. If I bring her to you, she'll have to know everything. And I can't say how she's going to handle it. She could be angry at you."

"We're willing to try." Regina's mother responded quickly.

"I'm going to need a way to contact you." Emma told them. "And I can't promise that it will be tomorrow. All I can do is go to her and see if she'll hear me out. But I'll let you know something as soon as I do."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I really do appreciate the messages and kind words! They keep me feeling encouraged!**

 **CHAPTER 14**

The next morning, showered and dressed, Emma pulled her bike out of the garage and took off down the road. The event that had occurred the previous evening was weighing heavily on her. The information she'd been given, though confusing and tough to deal with, was also a miracle in disguise. Emma believed that everything happened for a reason. Every moment, every occurrence that had happened in her life, had led her to this very day and what she was about to have to do.

After what seemed like the longest ride in her entire life, Emma rolled to a stop and put both feet on the ground to brace the motorcycle. She sat back and looked up at the familiar row of brownstones in front of her. Regina's house sat tucked neatly in the middle. But today, something was different. Emma looked up at the large windows where the curtains were always open, only to find them closed off. She wondered briefly if maybe the other woman was sleeping off her evening at the gallery. She was new to that world after all and the place had been well covered with potential buyers and people who just enjoyed looking at art. But it was nearly noon. Regina never slept in. Emma surveyed the area, noticing Regina's vintage Mercedes parked across the street.

Very rarely did the woman walk anywhere. And the thought deserved repeating that even more rarely were her windows ever closed, blocking out the world. That wasn't like Regina. It wasn't like her at all and Emma recalled the conversation she'd had with Regina about why her windows were always open night and day. She'd told Emma that it helped her to clear her mind. That it was the outside world that fed her creativity and allowed her to paint so freely.

Something was wrong.

Emma killed the engine of the motorcycle and quickly removed her helmet. She took the front stairs two at a time. Reaching the door, Emma knocked, pounding a little harder than she'd intended to. She stepped back when the door opened and it wasn't Regina on the other side. Immediately she recognized the man as being the same one she'd found sitting on her bike so many weeks ago. Surprised, but determined to keep her cool, Emma held her hands clenched at her sides.

"I believe you've been asked to stay away." The guy spoke calmly, but Emma could tell by looking at his eyes that he wanted to say more.

"I need to talk to her." Emma demanded, feeling the agent in her starting to come through. "Let me in."

"I'm afraid I can't do that. So you see, you can leave or I can escort you to the sidewalk." His tone was too even for Emma's taste. It only served to anger her more. The man leaned out the door, closer to her face. "Either way, you're not gettin' in. She doesn't need to hear anything you've got to say."

Emma looked past him, ignoring what _he_ had to say and saw Regina approaching the door.

"Regina, I'm sorry! You have to believe me." Emma started, her words rushing out, ignoring the man blocking her path. Remembering to leave out the part about her parents in front of him, she added, "I need to talk to you. It's important."

Regina looked up, allowing her eyes to meet Emma's for a brief moment before turning and retreating back into the apartment. Emma looked back to the guy in front of her. He cocked an eyebrow at her. A smirk on his lips. Stepping back he shut the door in her face.

"Damn it." Emma yelled, punching the door with a tightly clenched fist.

She looked around in time to catch a nosy neighbor ducking back behind their curtains in the adjoining house. She paced in front of the door several times before finally deciding to leave. Emma didn't know what to do to get Regina to listen to her, why that man was in Regina's apartment, or why she wouldn't just hear her out. But she needed to figure it out fast.

 **. . .**

Emma decided, quickly, to head towards her best friend's home. She needed Neal to talk some sense into her before she did something irrational like kick the door down and beat the hell out of the guy who'd answered it. Her mind was racing. She couldn't think straight. A million scenarios running through her head. None of them good. Emma wanted to kill that guy. Something about him made her skin crawl. And then there was the part where Regina suddenly had parents that were alive and well, which had been in her living room until well past midnight. Figuring out how she was going to explain that one was on the top of her list.

Emma knew that man in Regina's house was one of Mills' guys. Aside from her previous run in with him, she'd seen him around the restaurant several times. But why he was in Regina's house, she had no clue.

So lost in thought, Emma made her stops and turns blindly. By memory. Not paying attention to her surroundings at all. Making the last turn onto the street where Neal lived, she failed to notice a car pulling out of the nearest driveway, effectively cutting her off as soon as she began to accelerate. Emma hit her brakes hard, attempting to avoid driving straight into the side of the blacked out vehicle.

The brakes did not fail.

It all happened so fast that Emma didn't even have time to brace herself as the brakes locked up, lifting the back end of the bike from the ground. The driver of the car watched as Emma flew off of the motorcycle and over the front end of the car, landing on the back of another vehicle parked on the side of the street. She never heard the squeal of the tires as the car sped away from the scene, satisfied that their job was done.

When it was all over, mere seconds had passed and Emma was left lying, not moving, on the back end of the car where she'd landed. The window was shattered. Her helmet missing from the force of the brake and landing. Her face and arms were bloodied from the impact and the shattered glass. A moment later, the owner of the car where Emma had been left, came running out of their house.

The woman wasn't a friend of Emma's but both knew the other in passing, as Neal had lived on the same street for several years. When the woman reached her, Emma was barely conscious.

"Oh my God," the woman cried, immediate panic setting in. She turned to her husband who wasn't far behind her and yelled. "Robin, get down here. Call an ambulance!"

Looking down at Emma, the woman took her hand, telling her everything was going to be alright.

"Neal." Emma mumbled her best friends name before she lost consciousness.

The woman stood, horrified and confused, before it finally sunk in.

"Robin, stay with her." She told her husband before she took off running down the street.

When she reached Neal's house, she yelled at him through the screen door as she jerked it open and ran inside. She was just about to yell for him again when he came running out of the hallway and into the living room. Neal froze immediately, seeing blood on the woman in front of him.

"Marian, you're bleeding." He said calmly, unsure of what was happening. "What's going on?"

"It's not me Neal." She grabbed his hand, pulling him out the door. "The ambulance is on the way. It's your friend."

"What?" He asked, louder than he meant to, following her blindly out the door and down the street.

Before they reached the vehicle where the woman had left his best friend with her husband, Neal faltered, all of the color draining from his face. Taking in the motorcycle lying on its side as he walked around the back of the car, Neal thought he was going to be sick.

"Emma, oh my God." He choked out, taking her hand in his.

There was no response.

"The ambulance should be here any minute, Neal." The guy, Robin, said. He stepped back, pulling his wife to his side to give them room. "She's breathing. But she lost consciousness just before Marian ran to get you."

"We didn't see what happened." Marian spoke up.

But Neal wasn't paying attention to them, too concerned for his friend's life. The couple stood back, watching quietly as Neal talked to his unconscious friend.

"You and that stupid motorcycle, Em." Neal gritted his teeth, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Neal," Marian stepped forward, reaching out to him gently. "I don't think it was the motorcycle. I didn't see what happened…but I did see a car- a black car, driving away pretty fast."

Hearing this, Neal's head snapped up.

"Probably someone not paying attention." Marian reasoned. "Some kid that didn't want to own up and get into trouble."

"Yeah…" Neal said absently as the ambulance finally arrived. He was going to let them think whatever they wanted to. But he knew it was more than that. Neal knew that someone had intentionally tried to hurt or kill Emma Swan.

"Excuse me, sir." The paramedic put his hands on Neal's arm pulling him away from the car and the woman lying across the back of it. "Sir, you're gonna have to step over here if you want us to do our job, okay?"

Neal nodded, his whole body shaking. Anger, fear and every other emotion he could think of, taking over him. Once the paramedics had gotten Emma stabilized and into the ambulance, the police had arrived and were talking to the couple who owned the car. Neal informed them that he was FBI and that he would be following the ambulance to the hospital. They could find him there if they needed him.

 **. . .**

Once they arrived at the hospital, the doctors immediately went to work on her. They informed Neal of the tests they were going to run and left him to wait alone in an empty corridor. It was late in the evening when the doctor finally came to tell him the news. Emma hadn't received any major damage. There was some swelling in her right leg where it had been broken and he informed Neal that they would have to let it go down before they could put a cast on it. They gave him the room number that she'd been taken to and told him that she would be fine.

Neal thanked the doctor and headed for room 421. When he walked into the room, the scene that lay in front of him nearly brought Neal to tears again. Emma looked small lying there in the hospital bed, hooked up to various monitors and IV's. He sat with her for several hours, talking and saying whatever came to mind, hoping that she would wake up. He didn't want to give up, but Neal was growing tired and entertaining his self with his phone had long since gotten old. He needed sleep. Still holding Emma's hand, Neal was just starting to doze off when he felt her fingers twitch. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and stood just in time to see her eyes flutter open weakly.

"Neal…" Emma's throat was dry and her voice cracked as she managed to say his name.

"How you feelin'?" He asked softly, brushing some loose strands of hair from her face.

"Like shit." She said, attempting to laugh. Neal knew she would make jokes, no matter how serious the situation was, so he tried to smile for her sake. "You look like hell too, did you trip getting to the scene?"

"Thanks, Swan." He chuckled looking down at her. "I'm gonna have gray hair after this, thanks to you. Were you trying to get yourself killed?"

"There was a car." She told him, perking up as she suddenly remembered why she was even there. "Someone caused the accident. There was a guy who threatened me that day that I broke things off with Regina. When I left her house."

"What does that have to do with this?"

Emma closed her eyes for a moment, remembering the previous evening. The gallery. Being followed home. Finding out Regina's parents were alive. He watched as she silently went over the thoughts in her head.

"What happened, Emma?"

"Last night, on my way home, I was followed again." She started. When she saw the look of disbelief on Neal's face, she shook her head gently, hoping he'd give her a minute. "When I pulled into my driveway, the car stopped in front of my house. So I just got out of my car and pulled my weapon. When they finally got out of the other car, it was the couple from the gallery."

"What couple? There was a ton of people there last night, Em."

"The couple that bumped into us when we were walking into that second room." She supplied. "They're claiming to be Regina's parents."

"That's ridiculous Emma!" Neal exclaimed. "What are they suggesting? That they've been in hiding, even though they didn't even give the government enough to sink his brother?"

"He turned on his brother." Emma said. "That was enough. Mills would have had them killed if he'd found out they survived that accident. They had that accident because he was trying to kill them. I pulled their photos from my files. They've clearly aged. But it's them, Neal."

Neal took a moment and stood next to the hospital bed in silence. The information was a lot to take in. Suddenly he was beginning to feel like the last three years of his career had all been a useless waste of time. Conveniently more and more things kept surfacing that just didn't add up. They were the lead Agents on the case against Mills. Why wouldn't they have been informed about every detail? Even if it was just "The parents are in witness protection and no you can't know who they are." Neal sighed to his self and rubbed at his eyes. There were a million and one questions on his mind at the moment, but he started with, "Does Regina know? Have you told her yet?"

"I went there this morning. To tell her everything." Emma took a deep breath, starting to feel worn out. "When I knocked on the door, the guy that threatened me before was there to open it. I couldn't get to Regina. I tried to get her to talk to me, but she just stood there and let him keep me out. When I left, to come tell you what I found out…this happened."

"Don't wear yourself out, Em." Neal said, squeezing her hand gently. "I'll spare you a lecture for now. You need to rest and worry about getting better, so we can go after these assholes. All right? And as for her parents being alive...we'll figure something out. She needs to know."

Emma nodded. She took a moment to slow her breathing and wet her lips. Neal assisted her with a cup of ice water.

"Neal, you have to do me a favor…" She squeezed his hand tightly, to let him know she was being serious. He nodded. "I need you to go get Regina. She's not safe. We- I have to keep her safe."

Neal listened to what his friend was saying. The inflection in her voice left the wheels turning in his brain and he was starting to realize why Emma felt such a strong urge to protect this woman.

"I'm sure Regina's going to be fine, Em. If what you say is true, then her uncle is going to do everything in his power to keep her out of the loop and out of harm's way."

"That man thinks he had his own brother murdered. And tried to make it look like an accident, Neal. What makes you think he wouldn't do it again? What if he finds out they're alive? What if he already _knows_? They were in that gallery last night. What were they thinking? How did they even get away with it? Did no one try to stop them? Anyone could have seen them and realized. I don't care how long it's been." Emma said, shedding light on the harsh reality of who Luis Mills was and the seriousness of the situation. "Please. Just do it."

Neal took a deep breath, knowing he was about to set her off.

"Emma. She's not her." He knew it was last thing she'd want to hear right now.

"What? What are you talking about?"

Neal sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. "She's- Regina isn't Amanda, okay?"

"Whatever, Neal…" She looked away trying her best to block him out.

For three years she had refused to talk about Amanda. Most days Neal understood. Others, he found himself fighting the urge to force her into facing what had happened.

"No, Emma. You have to listen to me." Neal insisted. "You have to talk about this. You have to talk about her."

"No. Neal. I don't. And I don't have to listen to anything you have to say about her, either. You weren't there. This has nothing to do with her, so drop it." Her voice was low and she had meant to sound forceful, but it just hadn't come out that way. Instead, she felt as if a large weight had been left sitting on her chest and found it increasingly harder to breathe. "Just- leave it alone."

"You're gonna have to tell her, you know?"

"Neal. Please just go pick Regina up. I need to talk to her."

Neal decided to let it go for now.

"It's five in the morning, Emma. She doesn't know me. She's not going to go anywhere with someone she doesn't-" Neal's voice trailed off, thinking about the night she'd left the bar with his best friend. "Never mind that…"

Emma rolled her eyes at that. "Do whatever you have to do, but please just get her here."

Neal regarded his best friend carefully for a moment, knowing that things were going to get a lot harder before they could get better. What did they have to lose? The shit was already hitting the fan.

"Okay." He gave in. Leaning down, he kissed her softly on the forehead. "I'll get her here. Just promise me you'll rest, okay?"

"I'll rest. I promise."

 **. . .**

Before going to Regina's, Neal decided to head home first. He took a moment to jump in the shower, attempting to wake himself. Showered and dressed, Neal headed out. When he reached Regina's, Neal wasted no time getting up the front steps and pounding on the door. He glanced around the area anxiously, hoping the guy Emma told him about wouldn't be there.

A couple minutes passed before she finally answered. When Regina opened the door, Neal subtly glanced past her, scanning the house for signs that someone else might be there. Hoping it was safe, he invited his self in, pushing the door shut behind him, forcing Regina to move. She backed away from him quickly, never taking her eyes off of him.

"What the hell are you doing? Who the hell are you?" She demanded, making a quick move for the cell phone on her kitchen counter. "Get out!"

Neal ignored her, taking in the woman's appearance. He couldn't help but notice half the reason Emma was attracted to her. Regina stood in front of him, wearing close to nothing, covered by what appeared to be an over sized button down dress shirt that looked oddly familiar. He was positive that she had been asleep and for a split second felt bad about waking her up at such an early hour.

"I need you to get dressed and come with me." He finally spoke up.

"Who the hell _are_ -" She paused, a look of recognition washing over her face. "Why do you look familiar? Who are you?"

"I-"

"No wait." She threw her hand up at him. She backed away again, putting the bar between them and reached for a bottle in the sink. She pointed it in his direction, making an attempt to look threatening. "I remember you. I saw you. You were at the opening last night. At the gallery. A-and on the sidewalk in front of my house. _Weeks_ ago! Are you stalking me? What do you want from me?"

"Look Regina, we don't have time to talk." He said, shifting anxiously. "Emma was in a bad accident."

"Why should I believe you?"

She relaxed her defensive stance but crossed her arms defiantly over her chest, bottle still in hand. Neal heard the worried tone in her voice and took a second to choose his words carefully, so that she might continue to listen.

"You want the short version?" He raised an eyebrow at her. She nodded. "Emma and I grew up together. She's my best friend. We both work for the FBI. She's in love with you. Someone just tried to kill her and she wants me to help her keep you safe because there's a strong possibility that you might be in danger." He took a deep breath then stepped towards Regina, trying to usher her to the door. "She sent me here to get you, so let's go. We have to go now."

"Whoa, wait! You want to run that by me again?" She said, resisting his advances by shoving the bottle in his direction again. There was no way he could get to her. Neal had no idea if she might actually try to swing the bottle at him or not. And even if she did, he knew there was no chance she would ever be able to overpower him. Neal just didn't want it to come to that.

"I really don't want to have to point a gun at you. Please." Neal said flatly. Realizing that she might not give in, it dawned on him to show her his ID. Reaching into his back pocket, Neal pulled out what looked like a wallet and opened it, holding it up for Regina to see. "Here. Look. This is my identification. The last thing I want to do is upset you any further. Swan will kick my ass if anything happens to you. Trust me."

They stared each other down for several moments. Suddenly Regina couldn't help but remember the many conversations where Emma had warned her about strangers and trusting no one. Regina took a deep breath and sat the bottle down in the sink, not quite sure why she was giving in.

"Okay. Just…let me get dressed." She sidestepped along the edge of the counter, staying as far away as possible, still unsure of the man standing in her hallway. But the way he talked about Emma left Regina feeling as if she should believe what he was saying.

It didn't take her long to change, so when she came back into the room five minutes later, Neal was amazed at the fact that she looked as if she'd just spent two hours making herself presentable. He still didn't understand why it took some women so long to properly prepare their selves and others could do it in a matter of minutes. Grabbing her coat from the hook by the door, Regina stopped Neal before they stepped outside.

"Someone has a hell of a lot of explaining to do. And I want detail."

"Emma can tell you whatever you want to know when we get there."

 **. . .**

Once they were on their way to the hospital, the two sat in silence for several minutes before Regina decided to ask questions.

"What happened?" She sounded worried.

"What?" Neal asked momentarily confused due to his lack of sleep. Then it dawned on him what she was saying. He took a deep breath. "Oh. Well…she said someone pulled out in front of her and just stopped. So she came off the bike and- she landed on a car that was parked on the street."

Regina flinched. "But she's okay, right? If you talked to her…"

"Well," he paused; trying to think of the best way to describe the condition his best friend was in. He wanted to be honest, but he didn't want to make Regina worry any more than she already seemed to be. "She took out the back window of a car with her head. So...the whole right side of her face is bruised and a little swollen. There weren't any major cuts, so it should be fine. There was just one that was really bad right above her eye, but they stitched it up." He laughed to his self despite the situation. "It'll add character."

Regina looked over at him.

"Her right leg is broken just below the knee. The doctors want to let the swelling go down, so they'll probably keep her until tomorrow, to watch it before they'll cast it. Her whole body is probably going to be sore for a while though."

Regina nodded, fighting back tears that were threatening to spill over. When she didn't say anything Neal looked over at her, concerned.

"She's gonna be okay." He tried to sound reassuring.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: see previous chapters. I own nothing except the thoughts in my head...**

 **CHAPTER 15**

Neal put a hand on Regina's arm as they reached the door to Emma's room at the hospital.

"Regina- one thing." Regina waited patiently for Neal to continue. "A fair warning. You should know that Emma's not a fan of doctors."

That said Regina regarded Neal carefully, wondering why he would point that out. Especially after Emma had told her that her parents were both well respected in the medical field. But now that she thought about it, Regina suddenly wondered if that was even true. She nodded slowly.

Walking in, Regina stepped quietly around the corner, afraid of what she was going to see. Neal stood back as she approached the bed where his friend lay sleeping. He suddenly felt like he was intruding as he watched the scene unfolding in front of him and excused himself quietly from the room.

Regina stood next to the bed, looking down at the woman she had so quickly fallen in love with. The woman who had broken her heart a month earlier. The woman who, despite everything, Regina realized that she could no longer live without. She thought that Emma looked small and fragile, lying there. It didn't take long for the tears to start falling, but Regina didn't bother to brush them away. Instead, she leaned over and gently kissed Emma's swollen lips, allowing the simple yet intimate touch to linger. Regina hadn't seen her since the day Emma walked away. But the weeks hadn't changed her feelings for the other woman. If anything, they had grown stronger as she spent most of her days sitting around her house missing Emma Swan.

"Please be okay…" she whispered, softly brushing her cheek against Emma's and breathing her in.

Regina didn't know what else to do, so she stood quietly next to the bed, holding her hand and gently running her fingers through Emma's hair. Regina had missed her touch. She didn't want to let go. Several minutes passed. Emma stirred and Regina watched as she finally opened her eyes.

"Hi." Emma's voice was raspy; her throat dry from the medication the doctors had pumped into her.

Regina couldn't respond. She sighed heavily, suddenly short of breath and unsure of what to say, leaving Emma to wonder what kind of reaction she was going to get.

"I'm sorry." Emma whispered barely loud enough for her to hear. All thoughts about the minutes leading up to her wreck were put on a shelf to be dealt with later. All that mattered was that Regina was standing in the hospital room with her, safe and sound. Though Emma did make a mental note to find out why that goon was at Regina's house the previous afternoon.

"FBI?" Regina asked weakly through tears that were heavy in her eyes. Emma's eyes fluttered shut as she swallowed a thick lump in her throat, unsurprised by the fact that Neal had told her the truth. "You couldn't tell me that you're FBI? Why? I don't understand, Emma. Why did you lie? I don't care what you do…"

"I couldn't tell you." She took a deep breath. "Because it involves you." At Regina's look of confusion, she corrected herself. "Or at least, we thought it did. But I know differently now."

"Why would the FBI ever be interested in me?" Regina asked, torn between confusion and intrigue.

"Not you." She amended quickly, knowing things were probably about to get out of hand. "Your uncle."

"Uncle Luis? What did _he_ do?"

Emma coughed roughly as she opened her mouth to speak. Regina helped her steady herself and reached for the glass of water on the tray next to the bed. Regina held the cup for her as she took a sip to wet her throat.

"I'm not supposed to tell you any of this," she started. "And I won't be able to tell you everything…so you've got to promise me that you're not going to go to him. I'll lose my job."

Regina nodded swiftly, wiping at the tears that stained her cheeks. She had no idea what was going on, but still she found herself trusting Emma enough to know that it was probably bad.

"The FBI has been after your uncle for years, Regina. I just happened to get put on the case going on three years ago." Emma paused, taking a deep breath, her body still very weak. "Luis Mills may be your uncle…and to you, he's probably a very good man. I have no doubts about his love for you or that he raised you well and takes care of-"

"Please, Emma. Just tell me what's going on." Regina pleaded with her.

Another deep breath.

"We have reason to believe that he's illegally trafficking drugs in and out of the country, there are counts of racketeering and other things and he's using his business as a cover."

"No. That's a lie." Regina insisted, shaking her head firmly. She stepped back, letting go of Emma's hand. "I have practically lived at that restaurant my whole life. There's nothing going on there! He wouldn't do that."

Emma averted her eyes, hating that she was the one having to tell Regina that her uncle wasn't the man she always thought he was. Emma hated knowing that she was the one ruining that image of him for her.

"My uncle is a _good_ man, Emma. He wouldn't…" she trailed off, falling back into the chair conveniently positioned next to the bed. Emma watched as Regina's facial expressions changed from confusion to realization.

"All this time. All this time you've known _everything_ about me." Regina accused, looking up at her, suddenly remembering the truth of the situation between them.

Emma felt sick and she knew that Regina probably did too. "Regina, I-"

"Even before. Before we met. That's why you approached me in the bar that night?" Regina accused, her voice rising. She felt betrayed. Lied to. Cheated. " _Three years?_ Every conversation we had. You already knew everything."

"Not everything." Emma was quick to correct. "I didn't know _you_. Anything I knew came from a file. Regina, you have to believe me. At first, it _was_ about the job. It was. But that night, I approached you because I was attracted to you and that is the _only_ reason _._ I'd looked at picture after picture of you and I- I was drawn to you. And I pushed you away that first night because it felt wrong. What I was doing felt wrong. I didn't want to do that to you."

"Then why did you come back?" Regina yelled at her, on the verge of sobbing.

"I wanted to get to know you. You." She answered sincerely. "Regina, I love you."

Silence enveloped the room. They both needed a moment to think about what had just happened.

"What has he done?" Her voice was weak and to Emma, she sounded as though her heart was a little broken.

"Regina, I'm sorry." Emma told her gently. "I know that nothing I say is going to help. Or make the truth go away. But I had to tell you because-" She paused. "I was removed from the case. My boss found out that I was seeing you. He realized that it was more than just the job and he pulled me. He said he would fire me if I didn't stay away from you."

Regina listened closely, but wasn't ready to respond.

"He put a new guy on the case." Emma told her. "I was afraid he was going to come after you."

"The guy who was in the restaurant." Regina stated, beginning to piece things together. "The one asking all the questions. I knew something wasn't right that day. You were angry when you saw him. I didn't say anything. But I could feel it."

"Regina," Emma paused, wincing slightly as she tried to reposition herself in the bed. "You can't let anyone know that you know any of this. I don't know what might happen if you do…"

Regina's eyes snapped up to meet Emma's, an alarmed look on her face.

"What do you mean you don't know what could happen?" She asked, suddenly concerned. "You think someone might try to hurt me? Who would do that?"

"I'm not sure." She answered, taking a moment to decide whether or not to continue. "But I do know that I want to keep you safe, Regina. I-"

Regina watched Emma expectantly. Waiting.

"I don't want to lose you. I need you, Regina." She finished quietly, staring up at the ceiling. Emma didn't want to see the look on her face if Regina didn't feel the same way.

Regina wasn't quite sure what she'd been expecting the other woman to say, but the open admission had made her heart flutter. The room remained silent for several moments as she tried to gather up something to say that would equal what she'd just been told.

"Say something." Emma asked her voice barely more than a whisper. "Please."

Regina took her hand then and stood. Another tear rolling down her cheek. She found herself torn between being angry at Emma for keeping so much from her and wanting to forgive her because she knew that the other woman had only been doing her job.

"I have no words, Emma…I-" Regina whispered, hanging her head. She saw the flash of pain wash over Emma's face. "I just- I'm so confused. It's like I want to be angry at you for keeping all of this from me. And I want to be angry at my uncle for putting me in that position."

Regina paused, taking a deep breath. She looked down at Emma who continued to stare at the ceiling because she was afraid to make eye contact with her.

"But I can't be angry. Whatever this mess is…it brought me you." She continued, more tears pushing their way past her lashes. "I can't ignore that. But Emma, if he's guilty of everything you said and more…It will tear apart the family that I still have. I'll have nothing left."

"That's not true!" Emma sounded almost panicked, finally turning to meet Regina's stare. "You know that's not true, Regina. Anything you need, I'll always be here."

She exhaled heavily. "And I want you to be. I do. But that doesn't make any of this less confusing, Emma. I-"

"Ms. Swan!" The almost too cheerful voice sounded from the door as Emma's doctor entered the room. "How are we feeling, today?"

Emma barely suppressed her sigh of frustration at his presence, but tried to smile despite the poor timing and interruption.

"Fine," she responded, her tone slightly bitter.

Regina stepped back but continued to hold Emma's hand as the doctor set about checking the woman's blood pressure and other routine things.

"Well it looks like we won't have to remove any limbs, today." He joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Emma realized the doctor meant well, but she didn't like hospitals or the doctors in them and wanted to get away from this one as soon as possible. She flinched slightly, jerking her chin from his fingers as he attempted to check the stitches in the cut above her eye.

"I'm sorry. Does something hurt?"

"No." She sighed audibly this time. "When can I go home?"

"Emma…" Regina spoke up gently, stepping closer to her. "Let him do his job."

"It's okay." The doctor reassured Regina. Turning to Emma, he continued. "I'd like to keep you through tonight and if that swelling goes down some more, we'll put a cast on your leg and then you'll be released."

Emma did her best not to roll her eyes. She knew that he was only doing his job, but she didn't think she could take much more of the immobility being in a hospital bed was causing. She knew she wouldn't be able to walk yet anyway, but it didn't help her to feel any less trapped than she did. Anywhere had to be better than a hospital. Besides all that, Emma had been a fast healer all her life. Her parents had thought it almost unnatural. Emma simply accepted and appreciated it.

"You were lucky, Ms. Swan." The doctor nodded, having seen worse results from lesser motorcycle accidents. "I'd advise that you get some rest. And, uhm, you might want to make sure your helmet is more secure from now on."

"She will, Dr.-" Regina squinted, trying to read the name on his white coat. "Dr. Whale. Thank you."

Emma waited until he was gone to speak again.

"Traitor. You could have helped me."

"Help you what? Get out of here faster?" She asked, confused. "So the doctors can't help you like they need to? Do you never want to walk again? I'm not pushing you around in a wheelchair for the rest of our lives."

"I'm fine." Emma mumbled to herself, ignoring Regina's attempt at lightening the mood. "They can't help me anyway."

"Right, Emma." Regina sighed. "That's why you have to stop every five seconds to catch your breath. And why your leg is twice the size it should be."

Emma dropped her head back to the pillow. Her eyes once again tracing the lines on the ceiling. She didn't want to argue. And certainly didn't feel like explaining.

Regina didn't want to argue either. Leaning down she put her lips to Emma's ear. "I need you too…so you have to get better." she whispered before kissing her softly on the cheek.

The moment was interrupted when there was a knock on the door, followed by Neal poking his head around the corner. Both women looked up in surprise, having forgotten that he'd been waiting in the hallway the whole time.

"Hey, come in." Emma told him, sounding tired after her long talk with Regina.

Neal moved to stand at the foot of the bed.

"I take it things went well?" He started, glancing back and forth between the two women. Then to Emma, "Since I can see you're still alive."

Emma did her best not to laugh, knowing how much it would hurt if she did.

"You sure picked a stubborn one, Swan." He smiled at both of them. "She fought me for fifteen minutes and threatened me with a wine bottle before I could even get her to listen."

"Thank you,-" Regina paused, realizing she didn't even know Neal's name. "I feel awful I don't even know your name."

"Neal." Emma answered quickly.

He smiled politely and glanced at his watch.

"Em, it's eight-thirty. I need to go into the office."

"You should go before Ragan starts flipping out. Let him know I'm alive. He'll be thrilled to hear it." Emma rolled her eyes.

"Can you stay with her?" Neal asked Regina.

"Of course. You didn't have to ask." She smiled down at Emma.

Once Neal was gone, both women were comfortably silent. Regina had taken a seat next to the bed, but refused to let go of Emma's hand. They had been talking so much she knew that Emma would need a moment before there was any more conversation. Unfortunately Emma had other plans. She had yet to tell Regina about her parents and whether or not now was the time she had to get it off her chest.

"Regina," she said, turning her head to look down at the woman sitting next to her bed. "There's something else you need to know."

Regina reached for the small cup of water on the table offering it up to Emma who took a small sip. She didn't know what she was about to hear, but felt certain she needed to prepare herself. It was barely after eight in the morning but already she'd been given enough information to last her a lifetime.

"Let's hear it." She finally spoke up. "I'm not sure you can surprise me anymore than you already have this morning."

"You might want to sit down." She patted the small space next to her on the hospital bed and Regina squeezed into the spot without questioning her. Once she was comfortable, Emma took a deep breath and opened her mouth to speak. "I was at your show Friday night. When I was there, these people bumped into me and...I didn't think anything about it. When I left, I was followed home."

She stopped for a moment, suddenly unsure of how to get to the point. "When I got out and approached the vehicle, it was the couple who I'd bumped into at the gallery. I-"

"What does this have to do with me?"

"Regina y-" Emma's throat seized up for a moment and she felt as if she were about to choke. Swallowing the offending lump in her throat she decided that spitting it out and getting it over with was the only way to go. "They're your parents."

"That's not possible." Regina dropped Emma's hand as if it had burned her and moved away from the bed, only stopping when her back was against the wall. Her eyes immediately welled up with tears. "Why would you say that?"

"I didn't believe it at first either." Emma spoke softly, realizing how hard the truth was going to be for her to hear. "The accident wasn't an accident. Someone ran you and your parents off the road that night. Your father wanted out of the family. He was going to take you and your mother away and give the FBI information about your Uncle in exchange for a whole new life. But before he could do that, someone tried to kill you. All of you."

"They're dead." Regina slid down the wall and the tears spilled down her cheeks as she began to sob uncontrollably. Everything Emma was saying to her was changing everything she thought she'd ever known. The pain, the confusion was almost unbearable. "They're dead. They wouldn't have left me if they weren't dead."

She was mumbling to herself, hugging her knees in the floor as she continued to cry. Emma lay in the hospital bed helpless; unable to get to the woman she was so in love with. She wanted to hold her, but couldn't move. Couldn't reach her. Emma's heart ached. She could feel the pain spilling out of her girlfriend's heart and wanted nothing more than to take her into her arms and make the hurt go away.

"Regina." Emma's arm hung from the bed reaching for the woman in the floor.

"Why would they leave me?" She asked, looking up at Emma with her eyes full of tears and question. "I wasn't a bad kid. I wasn't."

"I don't think they had much choice. From what they told me the Bureau came in and secured them, but somehow managed to not get to you in time. By then, the rest of the family had already seen you and knew that you were unharmed." Emma felt sick. The wave of emotions rolling off of the other woman was making her nauseas. She didn't know how they were so connected, or why, but they were. When they were apart she felt physically ill. "Regina, please. Come back. I need to touch you."

Regina nodded, standing on shaky legs. Emma pulled her onto the bed and moved as much as she possibly could so that she could pull her closer. Regina was overly cautious, careful not to put too much pressure on her, but found a way to hold her just the same.

"When you're ready, they'd like to see you." Emma whispered against Regina's tousled hair. She didn't respond. "They said they would understand if you need time."


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER 16**

Regina had spent the rest of the previous day in and out of the bed, lying next to Emma and taking care of her. They didn't talk about her parents again. Emma knew that Regina would bring it up when she was ready. Everything she'd known for the past sixteen years had changed in a matter of a few sentences and minutes. She stayed with Emma the rest of the day and through the night, until Neal came to pick them up the next morning. Emma with a cast on her leg was ready to go. And much to Regina's relief, the doctor had actually released her. She found herself thinking that the doctor was probably just as glad to see her go, as Emma was to be leaving. Regina made a mental note to remember to ask Emma what it was about hospitals and doctors that she hated so much. And whether or not her parents really were who she said they were.

After a little resistance from Emma, Neal talked her into staying at his house. His argument being that Regina could stay with her and they would both be in one place where he could keep an eye on them.

"We still have a lot to talk about." Regina was speaking quietly as she lay on the guest bed next to the other woman.

"I know." Emma responded solemnly. "I was trying not to think about it though."

"How long are you going to be out of work?"

"Until the doctor releases me, I guess." She did her best to shrug. "Considering I'll be sitting at a desk for the rest of my natural life, I could probably go back in tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Well, I'm a field agent." Emma explained. "But when you compromise a case by being involved with a potential suspect, you quickly get demoted to the eternal pain and punishment of paperwork. With the occasional threat of being fired if you're caught doing it again. But that's only if your boss likes you. Lucky me."

"Ah." Regina nodded in understanding. "So that's what that stuff was all about? Being busy with work and how you wouldn't be available and how I deserved better?"

Emma sighed heavily, feeling embarrassed. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"What can I say? Payback's a bitch." Regina smiled and nudged Emma playfully in the ribs, careful not to actually hurt her. She was still avoiding the conversation about her parents and Emma wondered how long it would be before they discussed it again. It didn't matter to her though. Emma would wait as long as Regina needed to. She would just have to contact them and let them know that Regina was just not ready to deal with it yet.

"I guess I deserve that."

"I'm just glad you're okay, Emma." Regina assured her. Pushing up from the spot where she was lying next to the blonde, Regina leaned in giving her a gentle kiss on the lips.

"Maybe a few more of those and I'll be all better?" Emma smiled sheepishly.

"Oh really?" Regina smiled brightly. "You think they're that good?"

"Don't get a big head."

Just as they were leaning in for another kiss, Neal knocked on the open door, sticking his head around the corner.

"Sorry to interrupt, ladies…" he cleared his throat. "But I've got to put in half a day. Ragan's called twice, yelling at me to get to work. He doesn't think you need a babysitter."

"I'm guessing you left out the part where I already had one?" Emma laughed.

"Uh…yeah."

"I think we can fend for ourselves." Regina assured him with a mischievous grin on her lips.

 **. . .**

Once Neal was gone, both women remained silent. Neither knew what to say, but they were both content to be in each other's company. Emma lay there with her eyes closed; gently running her hand over Regina's back while they were both lost in deep thought.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you." Emma said, breaking the silence. Regina didn't respond, so she continued. "The day of the accident, when I came to your door and that guy was there… Why?"

"That was one of my many cousins. His name is Carlos. Uncle Luis sent him home with me after the opening at the gallery. He said someone was following me and wanted to make sure that I was safe."

Emma remained silent, suddenly curious to know if Luis Mills knew that his baby brother was alive and well. Or maybe he'd seen Emma and Neal at the gallery. It all just seemed a little too convenient that he would suggest someone was following his niece the same night Emma found out that Regina's parents were still alive and well. But Regina either wasn't putting two-and-two together or she was choosing to ignore the situation still.

"Emma…can I ask you something?" Regina changed the subject quickly.

Emma paused in her back rubbing motion, knowing that Regina never asked to ask a question, unless she knew it was something Emma might be hesitant to answer.

"Sure." She answered cautiously, afraid of what Regina might bring up.

Wanting to be able to see her, Regina moved to sit up, leaning back against the headboard. Her demeanor prompted Emma to follow suit, though she had a little more trouble doing so. She took a moment to look at Emma whose right eye was still slightly swollen and bruised around the outside edge. Only a couple of days and already most of the bruises were gone. _She's a fast healer_ , Regina thought to herself. There wasn't anything about this woman that she didn't love, bruising or no.

"You…" she paused, wetting her lips and taking a deep breath. "You were in an awfully big hurry to get out of the hospital."

"Regina," Emma started quickly. "I just don't like hospitals. Or doctors. It's normal. A lot of people don't trust them. I just prefer to take care of myself."

"Don't be mad. But Neal made it a point to tell me that you don't like hospitals. He must have-" Regina paused again, seeing the look on her girlfriends face. "Please don't roll your eyes. You do that all the time. I'm trying to be serious with you right now."

"I know." She answered quietly. "I didn't like doctors when I was a kid. I've always healed quickly and I've never really been sick. I just don't have any use for medical services."

"Is that why you scraped yourself off the back of that car and put your own cast on? Did you do your own x-rays and ct scans as well?"

"Funny." Emma said sarcastically and they both sat in silence for several moments. Contemplating whether or not to elaborate, Emma knew that admitting anything was just opening herself up to be hurt. But something was telling her to be honest. They couldn't have any more secrets between them if they were going to make this thing work. "I love my parents. And…I'm proud of who they are and what they do. But…what they do, pretty much took them away from me. Being around doctors and hospitals just reminds me of the poor relationship I have with my parents."

Regina was quiet for a moment, absorbing Emma's confession about her family. "There's a lot I don't know about you. I want to know everything. Don't ever hold back, Emma. I can tell there are things you want to talk about. I'm just not sure why you don't."

"Trust me. You don't want to know everything. You might not like me so much anymore." Emma said quietly. Her tone serious.

"Something happened. Something that hurt you. And changed you. Why won't you tell me?" Regina moved, repositioning herself so that she was facing the other woman. A few moments passed and Emma still hadn't spoken. "Emma, I'm not going anywhere. You can talk to me."

"Up until three years ago, I was involved with someone. Her name was Amanda. We-"

"Was…?" Regina spoke up before she could stop herself. Emma kept talking.

"I met Amanda after I graduated. I was 20, she was 18. Her and Neal and I were all really close. Her parents thought I was a bad influence and basically disowned her, so she moved in with me. Pretty much, they told her it was them or me." Emma took a deep breath, images of Amanda passing through her mind. "She was my moral support. My rock, all the way through college. My job as a cop and then getting accepted into the FBI."

"What happened?" Regina asked gently, moving closer and taking Emma's hands. Whatever she had been through, Regina wanted her to know that she was there.

"I was particularly busy on a case. We weren't seeing each other a lot, but everything seemed okay." She explained. "I'd come home at night and she'd be there waiting for me like she always was." A pause. "I was working undercover and it was really stressful on both of us…but we were okay. I mean, I thought-"

"You don't have to." Regina said, suddenly realizing by the tone in the other woman's voice that she might have pushed too hard.

"No." Emma's voice cracked and she shook her head. It was time. "I do have to."

She took a moment to think about what she was doing and started to talk again.

"I came home one night and Amanda was gone. Her car was still in the garage. There weren't any signs of a struggle. There wasn't even a note. She was just…gone." Emma stared at the foot of the bed, focusing on the bedspread. "Because of the case I had been working, the feds were on it in no time. In situations like that, there's always the possibility that a cover has been blown and someone could have taken her because of who I am. But because of our relationship, I wasn't allowed to be involved in the case. All I could do was wait."

"That must have been horrible, Emma." Regina sympathized.

"I was at the office every day doing paperwork because my boss said I was too stressed out to be doing anything else. One night, I was working late. Before I knew it, it was almost midnight and Neal finally came in and made me leave." She shrugged. "Amanda had been gone for four days. I didn't want go home. I know it seems like I'd want to be there in case she showed up…but I couldn't just sit there and wait. It would've just made me crazier."

 _Emma parked her motorcycle in the driveway and walked with her head down towards the porch. She took the steps two at a time like she always did and looked up to find the front door cracked open. Emma rushed inside hoping to find that Amanda was home and safe. She wondered through the first level of the house, searching like a kid playing hide and seek, yelling the younger woman's name._

 _When she came up empty handed, Emma darted up the stairs. As soon as she reached the landing, Emma noticed immediately that the bedroom door was shut. It was unusual, considering it was something neither Amanda or her ever did. There was a glow of light around the edge of the door and Emma burst into the room, only to find it empty. She knew something wasn't right. She hadn't left her lights on. She hadn't closed the door. And she certainly had not left her front door standing open. Amanda wouldn't have done any of those things, either._

 _Emma's senses began to tingle and she reached for her gun, immediately concerned about what she was going to find. There were a number of possibilities. After all, she was FBI. Anyone could have figured that out and decided to come after her._

 _She tip-toed along the wall, heading for the master bathroom. Pushing the door open, she lunged, gun-first into the room. Nothing. Stepping back into the bedroom, Emma realized the balcony was her last option._

 _She was suddenly feeling uneasy about opening the door. She'd covered too many cases not to know that anything was a possibility. Steadying herself, she took a deep breath and reached for the doorknob. Turning it carefully, she listened to the click of the latch releasing and pulled the door open._

 _When she stepped out the doors, the adrenaline kicked in as she looked up to find Amanda hanging from the rafters above the balcony. Her body was still and lifeless as Emma reached for her, wrapping her arms around the younger woman's legs, trying to relieve the pressure from the rope around her neck._

"' _MANDA!" Emma yelled, immediate panic setting in. "Amanda no!"_

 _She searched for the nearest chair, dragging it close with her foot and climbed up, clueless as to how she was going to get the younger woman down. Emma's arm was on fire as she fought to hold Amanda up while using her free hand to tug at the rope that was clenched so tightly around the younger woman's throat._

 _Everything was a blur as the rope came loose and Emma slipped it over Amanda's head. With the rope no longer supporting her weight, Emma couldn't stop them both from being pulled out of the chair and down to the hard floor of the balcony. They landed hard. Without another thought, Emma immediately checked for a pulse, unable to find one simply because her own was about to beat out of her chest. Emma sat up, pulling the younger woman into her lap. Amanda's head fell lifeless against her leg._

" _Please don't leave me." Emma cried, reaching for her phone. First she called 911. Second, she called her best friend._

" _Neal you have to get over here! Now!" She screamed at him over the line before dropping the phone at her side._

 _It seemed like an eternity passed as she waited. The silence was deafening and she had yet to find a pulse or any sign of life. She was too sick to her stomach to do anything but sit there, holding Amanda in her arms._

 _Neal arrived before the ambulance, falling to his knees as he found his best friend outside of her bedroom, rocking her girlfriend's body in the dark. Neal pulled them both into his arms and held them as the tears spilled down his cheeks. He felt sick. And helpless. When the ambulance finally arrived, Neal grabbed Emma and fought to pull her away as the paramedics took over, feeling as if it was the only thing he could do._

 _He didn't have to be told. Neal had known what happened as soon as he had found them, seeing the rope still hanging from the beam above. He sat, holding Emma tight as she screamed and cried in his arms, fighting to get away as she watched the paramedics check for signs of life, though they both knew there were none._

 _She watched as both shook their heads, indicating there was no response. As they stood to leave the scene and to notify a coroner, Neal lifted Emma from the ground pulling her back into the room, kicking and screaming, away from her dead girlfriend's body. He continued into the room and stopped at the closest wall just out of sight of where the younger woman was left lying. Emma slumped helplessly against him as the sobs continued to wrack her entire body. Tears streamed down his face as well, as Neal listened to his best friend crying and calling Amanda's name._

Regina sat stunned, next to Emma as she'd listened to her account every detail from the night of Amanda's death. Tears were flowing freely down both their faces.

Regina searched for something to say. But what could she?

"I had- no idea." She whispered, moving to envelope the other woman in a tight embrace.

"You couldn't have." Emma's tone was weak. Aside from being physically exhausted, she now found that she was mentally exhausted as well. "I just don't know why."

"Why?"

"Why she did it." Even still, Emma was confused and hurt. They had been happy. There had never been a single sign that Amanda had been upset or depressed. "Why wasn't I enough? Why wasn't I good enough?"

"Oh Emma…" Regina sighed deeply, holding the woman close. Her heart was aching for this woman that she had fallen so deeply in love with. "It wasn't your fault."

Regina brushed the tears from Emma's cheeks and kissed her gently, mindful of the small cuts on the right half of her mouth. Emma relaxed in her arms and Regina gave a small sigh of relief, hoping that she believed her. Regina had no idea what she was supposed to say or do, so she found herself pulling Emma down, stretching out behind her. Regina wrapped Emma in her arms and pulled her close.

After several minutes of heart wrenching sobs, Emma's breathing began to even out. Regina hoped the other woman would sleep. They both needed it.

"Regina?" Emma's voice cracked, her throat parched from all the talking she'd done.

"I'm here." She whispered, with her eyes closed and her face buried against the back of Emma's neck.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you…" she apologized, staring blankly at the wall. "I just…couldn't talk about it."

Regina brushed a few errant strands of hair from Emma's face and gently kissed her ear.

"You have nothing to apologize for." She reassured her softly. "Sleep, Emma. We can talk later."

Regina spent the rest of the evening holding Emma while she slept. She didn't know what else to do and had even fewer ideas as to anything she could say. Deep down, Regina knew that even a few meaningful words would never be able to take away the pain Emma had been suffering. To her, three years seemed so long, so Regina could only imagine the eternity it must have been for her girlfriend.

When Neal returned home from work later that evening, having stayed longer than anticipated, he headed for the guest room to check in on the two women. When he was sure everything was fine and that both of them were asleep, he went to the kitchen to find something to eat. He was sitting at the kitchen table reading an old paper and finishing his microwaved leftovers when Regina walked in. She stopped just inside the door, clearing her throat to alert him to her presence.

"Hey. I thought you were asleep." Neal said, folding the paper and laying it on the table.

"No. Emma is but- I've just been laying with her." Regina shook her head. "I couldn't sleep."

"You sound like you've got something on your mind." Neal reached over and pulled out a chair. "Anything you want to talk about?"

Regina sat.

"Well, for starters, Emma told me about Amanda and-" Regina paused, seeing the uncomfortable look on Neal's face. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just that…she doesn't- she hasn't talked about her. About what happened. Since- since that night. Not even with me." Neal took a deep breath. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Just like that, she had told Regina everything? Neal wondered if the accident had scared her enough to finally just talk about it. Or had something else happened to make her tell the other woman about the very thing she had been refusing to discuss twenty-four hours earlier. "That was three years ago, Regina. She kept that in for a long time. What did she tell you?"

"She only told me what happened and that they were together a long time." The room fell silent for a moment. "I'm sorry that happened. To Amanda, I mean. Emma said that you were close to her too."

"Yeah. I met her first, actually. Just…kind of bumped into her at a music store. And of course I hit on her." Neal laughed to himself. "She went out with me once too."

Regina smiled at the thought. She didn't know Neal at all, but knew that if he was Emma's best friend, there must be something special about him. Regina had the feeling that Emma didn't really let a lot of people get very close to her.

"So how did she end up with your best friend?"

"Well, I took her out to eat and like an idiot, I took her to a gathering and Emma was there. So when the night was over, my date was _leaving_ with my best friend."

"Do people just naturally gravitate towards her?" Regina asked, smiling to herself in wonder.

"Didn't you?" Neal countered and Regina nodded.

"That I did." She smiled to herself remembering the many times she'd considered approaching Emma in the bar like she'd witnessed so many other women doing.

"I don't know. Maybe she'll be able to deal with it now and let her go. Em's such a private person, you know? And after Amanda died…I couldn't even say her name without pissing Em off." Neal ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath, sitting back in his chair. "It just did something to her."

"I guess I understand that…" Regina sympathized.

"I tried to get her to move. She shouldn't have stayed in that house." He sighed. "But she refused. She wouldn't even let me come inside for a long time after. And when she finally did, there was this tension…"

"I guess that explains why I've only been to her house once. She acted kind of strange about it, you know? And I was only there for two minutes. Literally. All I saw was the living room."

"I don't know why she does that, Regina. I really don't." Neal said. His tone was apologetic. "It's like she doesn't want anyone to touch anything. Like if she lets someone in there, that some remaining trace of Amanda will be gone. A person just can't live like that."

Regina knew that Neal had a point. What she didn't know was if there was anything she could do that would help, or if Emma would even let her try. But Regina reminded herself that Emma had already taken the first step by reaching out to her. That was a step forward wasn't it? It had to mean something.

"After we lost Amanda, things got really bad. I don't think Emma even realized it." Neal continued. "And I know you should probably be hearing a lot of this from her, but… She just went on like nothing happened. Her attitude has been careless. Like 'Manda never existed."

"I could tell." Regina said softly. "That must have been hard on you too."

"It has been. She started going out a lot at night. Going home with random people." Neal shook his head. Reaching for his glass, he took a sip of water. "It was like she didn't miss her at all. But I guess that was just her way of not thinking about it."

Regina could tell that Neal was upset. It was obvious the past three years had taken its toll on both of them. Emma's inability to talk about Amanda had clearly affected him as well.

"I suppose you probably didn't want her getting involved with me, either, huh?" She asked curiously.

"That's not necessarily true." Neal smiled. "But I was worried that she might have just been jumping in head first, to get information from you. It was one thing for her to go out and have a one night stand. But it's a whole different story when you get involved with someone whose part of a case you're working on."

"Has she done this before?" Regina asked with a worried look on her face.

"No! No. I didn't mean it like that at all. About the cases I mean. You're a first." Neal was quick to clarify. "She cares about you. Just give her some time and understanding."

"I will."

"After all, she's still my best friend. That means if you hurt her, I'll be forced to take you in."

They both laughed.

"I think I can handle that."

"Handle what?" A voice came from the doorway of the kitchen, surprising both of them.

They both looked up to see Emma leaning against the doorway, steadying herself. Regina stood up as soon as she saw the other woman flinch and hurried to her side. Neal watched the brunette fussing over his best friend and smiled to his self. Emma was quite the sight, her leg in a cast, wearing a pair of dark grey cut off sweatpants and fitted tank. Her hair was a mess from having been asleep all afternoon, but no one seemed to notice. Regina brushed the hair from her eyes and pushed it over her shoulder. Neal almost blushed and averted his eyes back to the newspaper on the table, feeling once again as if he shouldn't be witnessing the interaction.

"What are you doing out of bed?" She fussed, putting her arm around Emma's waist to give her some support.

"Would you believe I missed you?"

Neal tried to hide his smirk.

"Yeah. I might. But that doesn't mean you had to come all the way in here to tell me." Regina said in a disapproving tone.

"I don't want to be stuck in that bed!" Emma insisted, on the verge of pouting. Had she stuck her bottom lip out, it would have made the scene complete.

"What's wrong with my bed?" Neal asked defensively.

"Have you ever slept in it?"

Regina rolled her eyes at Emma. "It's perfectly fine. C'mon, let's go." Then to Neal, she added, "Thanks for the talk."

"Night," he waved a hand at them as he stood. Neal figured he could watch a little television before he went to bed, so he headed for the living room.


End file.
